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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29610156">Puella Deus Mortem Magicae</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firefly896/pseuds/Firefly896'>Firefly896</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Death Note (Anime &amp; Manga), Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Death Note x Madoka Magica, F/M, Female Reader, Kyubey is still a jerk, Multi, Puella Magi Madoka Magica References, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Spoilers, Reader is a Magical Girl, Rebellion didn't happen, character routes, mikami is now the second Kira, misa is a magical girl, misa is nice, reader is haunted by her past, really really traumatic backstories, slight angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:34:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>72,527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29610156</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firefly896/pseuds/Firefly896</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when a Death Note owner clashes with Magical Girls?</p><p>(Y/N) (L/N), a veteran Magical Girl, is confused to say the least when she hears that all the world's criminals are being killed off. She is also surprised to hear that the killer, Kira, seems to reside in the Kanto region of Japan, which happens to be HER territory. </p><p>Initially, she wants to stay out of it. Slaying witches is enough work for one Girl, thank you very much. But it seems that fate doesn't want it that way...</p><p>Join her and Magical Girl-in-training, Misa Amane, as they fight off witches, fool stalkers, converse with Shinigami, and more as they are unwillingly pushed into this great battle of minds.</p><p>(NOTE: Death Note and Madoka Magica DO NOT belong to me. They belong to their respective owners. However, the cover art does belong to me.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amane Misa/Mikami Teru, L (Death Note)/Reader, Matt | Mail Jeevas/Reader, Mello | Mihael Keehl/Reader, Near | Nate River/Reader, Yagami Light/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The minute you become a magical girl is the minute you give up on life.</p>
<p>Making that wish, making that contract, even though you know what lies ahead, it means that you have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.</p>
<p>So the next time you’re alone, and have nothing to do, think about what you would wish for if you were given just one wish, in exchange for your life, future and soul…</p>
<p>You never know if you’ll get the chance later.</p><hr/>
<p>“Kira, I will find you, and eliminate you. I am JUSTICE!”</p>
<p>Now, it would be a stretch to say either L or Kira were heroes. Anybody who knows even the slightest bit about them would wholeheartedly agree with me that they’re less <em>heroic </em>and more <em>morally dubious.</em></p>
<p><em>Very </em>morally dubious.</p><hr/>
<p>It would be appropriate for me to address this matter from here on out rather than to leave it alone. Or, as you might say, cut to the chase.</p>
<p>This is simply an account of the events surrounding Kira, L, and the Magical Girls (also known as the Puella Magi or the Mahou Shoujo. I shall be referring to them as Magical Girls from now on to avoid confusion).</p>
<p>Unlike the Incubators, I am human in the sense that I have emotions just like you, and although I will try my best to keep this documentation as factual as possible, I apologize in advance if my views are reflected through my writing.</p>
<p>We as humans should decide what are our morals, where are loyalties lie in this fierce battle of minds. Are you pro or anti Kira? Would you kill someone for the greater good? Would you sell your soul for a single wish? These are the questions these events pose.</p>
<p>Of course, I am not asking you to choose a side. No one is asking you to fight, unlike the people in this story. Simply to observe.</p>
<p>If this story makes you think, makes you question, then I have accomplished my mission.</p>
<p><br/>
Now, without further ado, let us begin, shall we?</p>
<p>Signed,</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <s>XXX</s>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p><hr/>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p>
<p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Magical Girls and Shinigami</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The image is of Misa Amane as a Magical Girl, because I am too lazy to excessively describe an outfit. You can use it if you want, but be sure to give credit. Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>Magical Girls are immune to the effects of a Death Note. It is important to know this fact before reading this, as all of this revolves around two things: Magical Girls and Death Notes.</p>
<p>Wow. I never thought that I would write that.</p>
<p>The reason for this is quite simple. Magical Girls are considered as <em>dead </em>by the Death Note, and therefore, according to the rules, they cannot be killed.</p>
<p>In case you are not familiar with the process of becoming a Magical Girl, I shall explain it to you. When a girl, typically in her teens, makes a contract with an Incubator, her soul is taken out of her and placed inside a Soul Gem. This enables Magical Girls to fight more efficiently, as they feel less pain and their bodies heal quicker.</p>
<p>I am sure you know what this might mean for Light Yagami, or Kira. This means that there are people out there whom he cannot kill off at will.</p>
<p>Magical Girls, although they cannot stop a person from dying once their name has been written in the Death Note, <em>can </em>change how they die in the right circumstances…</p>
<hr/>
<p>(Y/N) (L/N) was not nervous about the To-Oh University entrance exams. Quite the opposite in fact; she believed, no, she <em>knew </em>that she would pass. It was a fact, just like how the sky is blue and grass is green. And even if the impossible happened and she wasn’t accepted, she could honestly care less.</p>
<p>No, what really terrified her was the fact that Misa Amane wanted to make her wear a mini skirt in early January.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, I won’t change!” she protested. “I’ll freeze to death, Misa!”</p>
<p>“Don’t be ridiculous!” said the older girl. “You’ll look super cute in it!”</p>
<p>“No, I won’t!” (Y/N) said again. “People will stare, and besides, I might make a bad impression!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Misa pouted. “You’re right. Impressions are everything, and boring, serious, people like the guys at To-Oh University don’t like miniskirts, or anything fashionable really…no matter!”</p>
<p>Misa rummaged her hand in her bag and pulled out something. A cute sweater, in (Y/N)’s favourite colour.</p>
<p>“Wear this then!” she said with a big smile. “Misa-Misa picked it out especially for you!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N) took it and put it on. She looked at herself in the mirror, and a big smile came onto her face.</p>
<p>“It…it does look nice.”</p>
<p>“See? Everyone will notice you!” said Misa happily.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Misa was right. Everyone did notice her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The whole room turned to glance at her when she arrived, barely a minute before the test started. She was on time, though. Barely.</p>
<p>As she made her way to her seat, she glimpsed two things: A man, with messy black hair and a white shirt. He had dark circles under his grey eyes, and he seemed to be chewing his thumbnail.</p>
<p><em>Curious, </em>she thought.</p>
<p>What was even more curious though, was the monster flying behind a certain boy.</p>
<p>Upon briefly making eye contact with it, it exploded into laughter. “Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!” it laughed. ‘<em>It’</em> sounded male. Its hair was spiky, and it had a red grin plastered on its face, and two wings sprouting out of its back.</p>
<p>(Y/N) turned her head away. Her mind started to whir.</p>
<p>
  <em>What is that thing? I don’t know.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>How come nobody notices it? Maybe I’m the only one who can see it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Why is it laughing? Maybe it finds me funny.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She forced her mind to go blank. She needed to take a test right now; panicking wouldn’t help anyone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>She took the test, then quickly dashed to the bathroom, and started freaking out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Bah! What the hell was that thing?” She quickly dialled Misa’s number.</p>
<p>
  <em>“What’s up?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Misa! There’s a weird monster following this guy…I don’t know how to explain it, but he’s not a witch.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Really? Don’t worry, Misa-Misa will be right there!”</em>
</p>
<p>The call ended.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N) rushed out of the building at top speed, with all the force of a raging river. A bad move because she ended up colliding with someone.</p>
<p>“Ow!” She landed right on her face.</p>
<p>“Oh! Are you alright?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She looked up to see an extremely handsome boy offering his hand to her.</p>
<p>And right behind him, possibly the ugliest creature in existence, who was cackling loudly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She shot up straight onto her feet and bowed. “Sorry!”</p>
<p>“No, I’m sorry,” said the boy with a sweet smile. “I should have been looking where I was going.”</p>
<p>Now, if (Y/N) knew anything at all about boys, it was not to hang out with boys who were being stalked by monsters.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, it’s my fault,” she babbled, not sure what to do.</p>
<p>“It’s ok,” he said, with all the mercy and forgiveness of a king. “Exam stress is pretty common.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) knew little about boys. For example, how to quickly slip out of an awkward and/or uncomfortable situation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“(Y/N)-chan!” A squeal came out of nowhere, and before she knew it, Misa was there to rescue her. “How was the exam?”</p>
<p>Misa looked at the boy, and cheerfully asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”</p>
<p>The younger girl proceeded to choke on her own spit. “N-no! I-it isn’t-”</p>
<p>“Relax!” said Misa, grinning. “I was only joking!”</p>
<p>“Come on, Misa, let’s go,” said (Y/N), tugging on her friend’s arm, embarrassment visible on her face.</p>
<p>“Ok! Bye!” Misa waved to the mysterious boy as they walked away, who waved back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That (Y/N)’s kinda cute, dontcha think, Light?” asked Ryuk, grinning.</p>
<p>Light merely hummed in acknowledgment.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“So, what do you think of the Thing, Misa?” asked the girl.</p>
<p>Misa shrugged. “It’s ugly and weird.” <em>My thoughts exactly.</em></p>
<p>“Do you think it’ll cause us trouble?”</p>
<p>Misa shrugged again. “Who knows?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think I may know.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The girls whipped their heads around in the direction of the sound. (Y/N) growled, and Misa frowned.</p>
<p>“Kyubey,” they said in unison.</p>
<p>The Incubator tilted its head in confusion. “You sound hostile. Am I not welcome here?”</p>
<p>“You are <em>not,</em> never were, and <em>never</em> will be <em>welcome</em> here, Kyubey!” snapped (Y/N). “What the hell are you doing in Kanto?”</p>
<p>“I am simply here to inform you of a new development,” said Kyubey. <em>What?</em></p>
<p>“What is it?” asked Misa, against her better judgment.</p>
<p>“I believe that Kira is being followed by a Shinigami,” stated Kyubey.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The girl began to feel her heartbeat speed up, and her breath catch in her throat. “Shinigami…” she mumbled.</p>
<p>“Do you mean that Kira is using a Shinigami’s power to kill?” exclaimed Misa.</p>
<p>“Yes. Of course, I have informed most of the others of this information, so there is no need to for you to spread the word,” said Kyubey. “It is up to you whether you make confront Kira or not, but-”</p>
<p>“Get out.”</p>
<p>Kyubey blinked.</p>
<p>“Get the hell out.” The girl’s expression was dark and would have chilled anyone to the bone.</p>
<p>“I see. Well, I shall take my leave. I hope I see you soon, Misa, (Y/N).” Kyubey leaped out of the open window, leaving the two of them by themselves.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They sat in the silence for a while, pondering over this newest piece of information given to them by Kyubey.</p>
<p>“Hey,” said Misa, finally. “We should start patrolling now.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) nodded in agreement, but not before glancing at the ring on her middle finger, and the heart-shaped pattern on her nail. “You’re right. Let’s go.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>The darkness embraced the night. The air was chilly, and the city lights shone with a harsh light.</p>
<p>Misa Amane and (Y/N) (L/N) were holding out their Soul Gems. Misa’s was a bright red, and (Y/N)’s was crystal clear, their light illuminating the shadows that surrounded them.</p>
<p>“We’re getting closer,” muttered (Y/N).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They walked to an abandoned, old warehouse. The aura of despair seemed thicker here than everywhere else, and it had a decrepit and lonely air about it.</p>
<p>Their Soul Gems glowed brightly.</p>
<p>“This is the place,” said (Y/N), her face grim.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The wind howled, like something you’d read out of a book. The full moon shone down on their faces, lighting up their uncharacteristically serious expressions.</p>
<p>(Y/N) pushed on the door, which opened with a creak of protest. It was red, she noted, and the paint was peeling off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I will never forget what was behind that rusty door</p>
<p>There was a woman standing there, all dressed in a white gown that reached till her feet, and a thick veil that covered her face. The ends of the skirt were dirtied with mud, and she held a bouquet of wilted roses in her hand.</p>
<p>She hummed a tune that only now I recognise as a wedding song. But the sombre way in which she sang made it sound more like a funeral march.</p>
<p>“Here comes the bride. Here comes the bride.”</p>
<p>“What…?” said (Y/N) her voice trailing off.</p>
<p>Misa took action, running up and snatching off the veil, revealing the woman’s face. The woman had long, black hair, and pale skin. Her wide hazel eyes leaked with tears.</p>
<p>On her neck was a Witch’s Kiss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The room started to shimmer, and the old warehouse faded away into…a church?</p>
<p>In the front were a couple, and a priest stood before them. The girls saw that they were one of the audiences, standing on the benches.</p>
<p>But it was Wrong with a capital W. Everything and everyone was gigantic, and the girls in this world felt like two little Thumbelinas. The attendees loomed over them; the ceiling was at least a million miles away.</p>
<p>(Y/N) cursed. “A Labyrinth! Misa, get ready!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The two, using their Soul Gems, transformed.</p>
<p>Misa, in her red and black frilly outfit, brought out a chainsaw from under her skirt. As Misa pulled on the lever, it started to roar.</p>
<p>(Y/N) pulled out some daggers from under her own skirt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>DING DONG.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wedding bells appeared out of nowhere and started to circle the girls.</p>
<p>Misa revved up her chainsaw and cut right through one of them, and (Y/N) threw her knives with a deadly accuracy.</p>
<p>“The witch!” shouted Misa, and pointed at the said creature, who was looming behind the said couple.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Runes flashed before them. They couldn’t read them; all they could do was slay the witch.</p>
<p>Ribbons started to sprout out of the ground, but both girls leaped up into the air to avoid them. Misa and (Y/N) cut through them and landed back down again.</p>
<p>“You take short range, I take long range!” shouted (Y/N), and she immediately started to throw knives at the witch, weakening it. The witch screamed in pain.</p>
<p>After a back-and-forth of attacks and dodging, Misa finally brought in the big guns. The roar of the chainsaw grew louder and louder as it grew bigger and bigger. Misa started running towards the witch and leaped upward. “Time to end this!” she shouted.</p>
<p>Misa sliced the witch in half.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The witch disappeared, and the Labyrinth along with it. The brief sensation of falling overcame the girls, and before they knew it, they were back in the Warehouse. The woman from before was unconscious on the ground, and her eyes fluttered open. Misa quickly rushed to her side.</p>
<p>(Y/N)’s eyes flicked to the can with ‘Gasoline’ written on it and thanked the gods that they had got there in time.</p>
<p>They also landed on a Grief Seed, which she quickly took.</p>
<p>“Where am I?” murmured the woman.</p>
<p>“You’re in Yellowbox Warehouse,” informed Misa.</p>
<p>The woman started to shake. “Was I…Am I…” She hugged Misa and started to cry. “I-I don’t even know why! Kira, he made me, I knew that he could kill with other methods than heart attacks, but he found out that I knew, and he tried to kill me, and-”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The woman’s breathing stopped, and she slumped in Misa’s arms. “Huh?” said Misa.</p>
<p>(Y/N) breathing slowed. Her blood ran cold. “Misa. Check her pulse.”</p>
<p>Misa frantically complied, but her face darkened. “Nothing.”</p>
<p>The woman was dead.</p>
<hr/>
<p>They had taken them in for questioning. The police, I mean. The woman had turned out to be a former FBI agent, and her husband had recently been killed by Kira.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The man named Matsui was…kinda out of his comfort zone.</p>
<p>“U-Um…” he nervously cleared his throat. “What were you doing in the Warehouse?”</p>
<p>(Y/N) shrugged. “Stuff. I was feeling kind of bored, so…”</p>
<p>He nodded. “How did you encounter upon Miss Misora?”</p>
<p>She shrugged yet again; her gaze averted. “She was just…lying there. I was concerned, because she was a lady, in a wedding dress, unconscious…so Misa checked her pulse, and well, you know the rest.”</p>
<p>“Oh, of course, I understand.” He paused for a moment, and it was then her eyes landed on the earpiece on his ear. <em>Huh? An earpiece?</em></p>
<p>“Do you go there often?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I think it was about then she realised that someone was giving him orders through that earpiece. Which also meant…</p>
<p>
  <em>Someone’s listening in.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly the white lights in the room seemed harsher and blinding, and (Y/N) was aware that the door was closed. She felt a sense of fear, of helplessness, of being trapped, of…</p>
<p>
  <em>No. Get a hold of yourself. You are in control.</em>
</p>
<p>She took a deep breath and looked Matsui in the eye. “I don’t go there often.”</p>
<p>“I see,” said Matsui, and remembering the incident I now do recall how it was strange how <em>exactly</em> he said his words, as if he were reading them off a script.</p>
<p>“You can leave now Miss (L/N).” She stood up. “I’ll escort you out,” said Matsuda.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A black-haired man watched  the younger girl as she answered Matsuda’s questions.</p>
<p>“Ryuzaki, is she under suspicion?” asked Aizawa, from the side.</p>
<p>“Yes, she is,” answered L, not looking away from the screen. “There is at least a ten percent chance she is Kira or is at least involved with him.”</p>
<p>Aizawa frowned at this. His ‘fatherly instinct’ kicked up. “But there’s no way she can be Kira, Ryuzaki!” he protested.</p>
<p>L gave him a condescending look. “Really, Aizawa?”</p>
<p>Aizawa kept on protesting. “Yes! She was so calm during the interview…wouldn’t Kira be nervous?”</p>
<p>“That only increases the percentage,” said Ryuzaki.</p>
<p>Aizawa huffed and stormed off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Watari,” said L.</p>
<p>“Yes, Ryuzaki?”</p>
<p>“Contact M and N. I need a favour from them both…”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p>
<p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Personal Space</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's the MC's outfit! I just noticed that it's a little bit like Sayaka's, what with the flowing cape and all, but I hope you don't mind. As usual, you can use this picture, but give credit. Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><hr/><p>When a human wanders into a Labyrinth, they seldom make it out alive. Your average person usually does not have have the means to defend themselves against a Witch, or a Familiar and so they usually end up eaten. </p><p>It is the job of the Magical Girls to slay Witches and Familiars and save humans, but some allow Familiars to eat a few humans so they can acquire Grief Seeds.</p><p>If <em>you </em>ended up in a Labyrinth, what would you do?</p><hr/><p>She first noticed him when she was taking a walk in the park. A boy, red haired, wearing a jacket. She had barely got a glimpse of him before he disappeared from her sight, hiding behind a tree.</p><p>I remember that day clearly. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the sun was shining, and there was a gentle breeze flowing through the park. The park itself was mostly empty as far as I know, for reasons that I neither knew nor cared about.</p><p>A small petal fell onto her shoulder. She brushed it away.</p><p>She thought nothing much of the incident, until the next time<em>.</em> </p><p>This time it was right before the To-Oh Entrance Ceremony. She was all dressed up in her best clothes (which, as you might imagine, were picked out by Misa), and waiting outside. She wasn’t particularly impatient, more like, lost in her own thoughts, you might say, which kept on drifting to the boy, the Shinigami, and Kyubey. Not very pleasant things to think about.</p><p>Then she saw him again.</p><p>Like before, barely a glimpse, yet that was enough to make her breath stop and her blood run cold, until all she could hear was the beating of her own heart, and all she could see was where <em>he </em>had been standing.</p><p>The crowd started moving inside, and she moved with them, like a fish swimming down a stream.</p><p>Somewhere between the sighting, the talking, and the relentless beating of her own heart, she came to the conclusion that she was being followed.</p><hr/><p>She kept her head down during the ceremony. She wouldn’t allow herself to look at him, for fear of…she wasn’t sure, but she was sure she couldn’t allow herself to look at him.</p><p>The ceremony went by in a blur. Her mind couldn’t comprehend the colours, or the words being said, until the names…</p><p> </p><p>“Our freshmen representatives, Light Yagami.” The boy with the monster stood up and walked to the stage.</p><p>“Hideki Ryuga.” The weird boy she had seen before at the tests went to the stage as well.</p><p>“Michael Jones.” <em>Huh? </em>That didn’t sound like a Japanese name to her.</p><p>A boy with blonde, chin-length hair and piercing blue eyes went up on his feet. He was wearing black leather, she noticed, and-</p><p>Before she could make any more observations, Michael looked right at her and winked, with a smirk on his lips.</p><p>She heated up with embarrassment and shrank a little into her seat.</p><p> </p><p>“And, last but not least, (Y/N) (L/N).” The girl stood up at her name being called and walked to her place. <em>I got 100% in everything, so that must mean that all the others got the same as me.</em></p><p>I wonder, how did so many genii land up in the same place?</p><p>They all gave the speech, and I had admittedly spaced out for most of it, since it was all the same speech. But I would like to note that ‘Ryuga’ was reading from a blank paper. No. I do not know the reason either. Probably because I am no genius.</p><p> </p><p>Later on, walking off from the stage, Michael Jones approached her from behind.</p><p>Her eyes narrowed slightly. What could he want from her?</p><p>“Is there anything I can do for you Jones-san?”</p><p> </p><p>“Your name is (Y/N) (L/N),” said Michael. “Your parents died when you were sixteen, and now you live on your own. You have few friends, and are very reserved, but clever.”</p><p>The girl stopped in her tracks. Michael continued speaking. “You recently encountered upon the dead body of Naomi Misora along with your friend Misa Amane, and have, upon the request of the police, kept this to yourself. So if you swear to keep this a secret between us and us only, I will tell you something vitally important about the Kira case.”</p><p>
  <em>Kira case?</em>
</p><p>She looked at the Thing from the corner of her eye, who by now she suspected to be a Shinigami. And if it was a Shinigami, that would make Light…</p><p>“I won’t tell anyone. What is it that you wish to tell me?”</p><p>He leaned in closer, his lips brushing her ear, and said those three, tiny, words in a soft whisper.</p><p>“I am L.”</p><p> </p><p>In that moment, the girl realised that there was no use trying to escape the Kira Case. If she wouldn’t go to the Case, it would come to her.</p><p>And it had, in the form of a foreign boy with blonde hair and blue eyes which were piercing right through her.</p><p> </p><p>The girl stroked the ring on her middle finger, her Soul Gem, trying to calm herself. Then she spoke. “Please step away from me. You’re <em>seriously</em> invading my personal space here.”</p><p>Michael’s expression was priceless.</p><p>“Um, alright.” He did as the girl had asked him to. Then something registered in him, and a smirk spread on his face. He stepped closer again. “You’re shy around boys? Well, I should have known, since you were a girl and all, but-OW!”</p><p>The girl elbowed him in the gut. She turned around to look him in the eye.</p><p>“Jones-san, I personally find you interesting, and hope we can become good friends. But if you continue to harass me in the manner that you do now, I will be forced to teach you a lesson. A painful lesson. In other words-” and here she poked his chest, <em>hard, </em>to get her point across “-you respect me, and I respect you. Understand?”</p><p>Michael nodded.</p><p>“Good.” She made her way to her seat. There would be no more words exchanged between the two of them.</p><hr/><p>“EEEEEEHHHHHH!” squealed Misa. “YOU FINALLY HAVE A BOYFRIEND!”</p><p>“Misa, he is <em>not </em>my boyfriend,” said the girl.</p><p>“Aw.” Misa pouted. “But you did say he was cute, like, five seconds ago, so why can’t I-”</p><p>“SHUSH! We shall not speak of it!” The girl looked extremely flustered. “I never called him cute, and never will.”</p><p>Misa sighed. “Looks like Misa’s dream will only remain a dream after all.”</p><p>“Ah yes, I have something to do later on, so will you please take care of it?”</p><p>“Yes!” said Misa, understanding immediately. “Misa-Misa will do her best!”</p><p>The girl stood up. “Thanks Misa." She walked outside. She had confidence that Misa would do her best in hunting the Witches.</p><hr/><p>The next day, the girl decided to use her ‘friendship’ with Michael to her advantage.</p><p>“Michael-san, can you please do a favour for me?”</p><p>Michael grinned. “Sure. And call me Michael. Just Michael.”</p><p>“Alright, <em>Michael. </em>There has been someone who has been following me for the past few days. Could you get rid of him for me?”</p><p>Michael visibly tensed, and the grin fell from his face. “Who is this person?”</p><p>“A male, about our ages. Auburn hair, often wears goggles. I have only caught glimpses of him, but I’m sure that’s what he looks like.”</p><p>“Are you sure it isn’t your imagination?”</p><p>“If he’s still here, I will simply have to take care of him myself, by direct confrontation. I might hurt myself by doing that, so can you please help me?”</p><p>Michael took a deep breath to compose himself. “Yes, I will. You have my word. Now, would you please excuse me?”</p><p> </p><p>Michael went somewhere and returned a few minutes later.</p><p>“I made a few calls. If he really exists, then you won’t be seeing him again.”</p><p>The girl smiled. I couldn’t tell if it was real or fake. “Thank you, Michael.”</p><p>He smirked back. “No problem. But you owe me now.”</p><p> </p><p>They heard people talking. “Tennis match…student representatives…”</p><p>Michael frowned. “I guess there’s a tennis match going on. Do you think we should go watch it?”</p><p>“I suppose. It might be entertaining. Let’s go.”</p><hr/><p>“Set! Light Yagami wins, six games to four!”</p><p>The girl blinked. “Where did the referee and linesmen come from?”</p><p>Michael shrugged. “No idea.”</p><p> </p><p>The two opponents shook hands. “You beat me, Yagami-kun,” said Ryuga.</p><p>“That’s the first time I played for real in ages, Ryuga,” said Light, and I noticed that he was sweating all over. Then, he noticed the girl. “(L/N)-san!” he called out.</p><p>He and Ryuga walked up to the girl. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a long time now, but I didn’t get the chance.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Light Yagami, though you may already know that.”</p><p>The girl took it. “Nice to meet you, Yagami-san. I’m (Y/N) (L/N).”</p><p>“I’m Michael. Michael Jones,” said Michael.</p><p>“That’s a very foreign sounding name,” said Light. “Are you from abroad?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m from Canada,” he responded.</p><p>“Your Japanese is flawless,” complimented Ryuga. “Do you have any relations here in Japan?”</p><p>“No,” he said.</p><p> </p><p>Ryuga turned to the girl. “I’m Ryuga. Hideki Ryuga.”</p><p>“Like the famous actor?” she asked.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>They shook hands too, but Ryuga, instead of letting her hand go, brought it up to his eyes, making her ears heat up. <em>What…?</em></p><p>“That’s a very pretty ring, (Y/N)-chan,” said Ryuga. “And your nail art is also very well done too.” Upon complimenting her, he let her hand go immediately. “May I enquire if that ring has any meaning to you?”</p><p>The girl tensed. The Thing, which had been silent for most of their banter, started to laugh uncontrollably.</p><p>“Yes.” She stared at the ring, at the clear crystal reflecting rainbows of light, at the silver heart painted on her nail. “It means a lot to me.”</p><p>They got the message that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore.</p><hr/><p>Michael and she were in a restaurant. She had no idea why she was there, just the fact that Michael had casually suggested that they go here.</p><p>The table they were at was secluded and quiet, and the waiter had given the two of them a knowing smile before departing with their order.</p><p><em>No! </em>she had screamed in her mind. <em>It’s not what you think it is!</em></p><p>“So, why are we here, L?” she asked.</p><p>He smirked. “Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to test your reasoning abilities.”</p><p>She took a sip of water. “I see. Test away.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why do you think I revealed myself to you?”</p><p>“I have two reasons. A) You think I might be helpful in solving the case, or B) I’m a suspect. It also tells me you have ensured or know that you can’t be killed by Kira. The news reports so far say that Kira only needs a face to kill, but I’ve noticed that criminals whose names have been incorrect in some way or the other didn’t die, and criminals whose pictures weren’t released didn’t die either, so that probably mean that Kira needs a name and a face to kill. And drawing from the previous assumption, that must mean that the name ‘Michael Jones’ is an alias. Oh, and I just realised, you might not even <em>be </em>the real L. It would be enough to send in a proxy, and far less risky than actually going in themselves.”</p><p>She took another sip of water. “Was I correct, Michael?”</p><p>“Your deduction skills are impressive-” and here he smirked even more “-just as I expected.”</p><p>“Thank you for the compliment.” <em>Avoiding the question, are we?</em></p><p> </p><p>He brought out some papers. “This information was never made public, so I request you to keep it that way. Here is a list of FBI agents who went into Japan and were subsequently killed by Kira.”</p><p>Some of the names were very strange, I have to admit. I wonder if they were bullied in their childhood…?</p><p>“And these are photographs of notes criminals wrote before they were killed by Kira.”</p><p>She narrowed her eyes. “You think Kira made them write those notes?”</p><p>“Yes.” <em>So Kira can control victims before death and kill them with other means than a heart attack. I’d better be careful…</em></p><p> </p><p>“Please look at the list of names first.” She did as he asked. “What do you think it tells you?” he asked.</p><p>The waiter came in with their food. She took a bite out of her order without looking away from the list. “What’s the file they received?” she asked.</p><p>“A file containing the names and photos of all twelve agents. The names are in the order which they received the file.” The second name down was 'Raye Penber'. Naomi Misora’s fiancé.</p><p> </p><p>“Kira obviously used this file to kill them in some way,” she concluded.</p><p>Michael nodded, then asked her to look at the photos of the notes. She stared at them. “It’s really interesting. If you look at the paragraphing and word choice of each note, it seems strange and abrupt. At least, it does to me. But I think it’s because Kira left a secret message for L.”</p><p>She arranged the photos and set them down. “If you put them in the order of their print numbers, and take the first word of every line, you get the sentence, ‘L, do you know love apples? Gods of death.’ But that doesn’t make sense at all, and I doubt Kira would have wanted L to read that way. So that must mean either of three things. One, the real question is ‘L, do you know? Gods of death love apples.’ Two, you are withholding one or more of the notes from me. Three, one of these notes is a fake. If it is the third possibility, and one of these notes <em>is </em>a fake, I think it’s most likely the ‘love apples’ message, since if you take away that you get ‘L, do you know gods of death?’ Or it could be that <em>two</em> of these are fake, so the most probable messages would be ‘L, do you know?’ or ‘Gods of death.’ Of course, there’s the possibility that all of these messages are fake, and you’ve simply been wasting my time.”</p><p>Michael blinked. “Wow…” he mumbled. He seemed genuinely amazed. Then he quickly smirked again, to hide his surprise. “Well done. Now, let’s suppose you are me, and I am you. In other words, you’re the detective, and I’m the suspect. What would you do to try and determine if I’m Kira or not?”</p><p> </p><p>She smiled. “That opens up a range of possibilities. I could try the subtle method and converse with you, try to make you slip up and say things only Kira could know.” <em>Like you’re doing now, Michael.</em></p><p>“Subtle method?”</p><p>She took another bite out of her food, which until this point I thought had been forgotten. “I could use a butter knife and attack you, hoping you’d try and kill me with my alias. The bonus of this other method is that it reveals your identity as Kira <em>and </em>your method of killing.” She laughed. “But that’s not very polite, is it? And I doubt that it would work.”</p><p>“In case you try to attack me, I should inform you that I’m exceptionally skilled at self-defence,” he said, chuckling.</p><p>The girl scoffed internally. <em>Hmph. I could beat you in a fight any day.</em></p><p> </p><p>She looked down at her food, and with her hand used her fork to pierce into it but stopped when she realised the gem on her ring was glowing silver. <em>Crap.</em></p><p>She stood up. “Sorry, Michael, something’s just come up. I have to go.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>“Bye. Thanks for the meal.”</p><p>She bowed down to him, then quickly walked away. Michael frowned. He stood up too, and quietly followed her.</p><hr/><p>She followed the glowing of her gem into a dark alleyway, where sure enough, in the walls, a Grief Seed was growing. <em>It’s just about to hatch too! Stupid stalker! I couldn’t go Witch Hunting because of you!</em></p><p>“(Y/N)!” She spun around.</p><p>“Michael! What are you doing here?!”</p><p>“Why did you ditch me?” He had a suspicious frown on his face, but in that moment, the girl could care less.</p><p>“You have to leave now! It’s dangerous!”</p><p>“No! In fact, you are under arrest, (Y/N) (L/N), under suspicion of being Kira!” He pulled out handcuffs and glared at her.</p><p>The girl cussed violently. “You can arrest me later, just not now!” The girl looked at the Grief Seed, which Michael could not see. “It’s dangerous!” she repeated, more desperate this time.</p><p>Michael moved closer to her, and in that moment, the Grief Seed split open, and the two were engulfed in a Labyrinth.</p><hr/><p>This time, they were stuck in an actual maze. The walls were high up, and the girl frowned.<em> I have no choice</em>. She brought out her Soul Gem and transformed into her Magical Girl outfit.</p><p>Almost immediately creatures started to attack them, strange, cow-like creatures. Michael brought out a gun and started to shoot them. Although he was shooting, I could sense that fear was clouding his mind, and distorting reality in his eyes. He was acting on pure adrenaline.</p><p> </p><p>His bullets ran out, and immediately another creature charged at him. Then, suddenly, a knife pierced its hide, making it <em>poof </em>into smoke, and saving Michael’s life. Michael promptly fainted, collapsing to the ground.</p><p>The girl sighed and thrust out her hand. Immediately, a cage made of ice surrounded him, jagged spikes warding away anyone who would try to approach it. It would protect him, but she couldn’t keep him in there for too long, or else he would catch hypothermia.</p><p>She brought out two of her knives. “Here goes nothing.”</p><p> </p><p>She created an icy staircase to the top of the wall and scaled it as fast as she could. When she was at the top, she looked at the Witch in the very centre of the maze. An angry Witch, angry at her for cheating.</p><p> </p><p>Runes flashed before her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>She ran towards the Witch, throwing knives at it. They stuck in its body, and it screeched in fury.</p><p>The girl clapped her hands together, and ice spread out from the knives, all over the Witch, until it was frozen solid. The girl threw one last knife at it, and the Witch shattered into pieces.</p><p>The Labyrinth dissolved. Michael was unconscious on the ground, and his skin was slightly cold. But he was still alive. The girl picked up the Grief Seed that had fallen near her and used it to clear her Soul Gem. It turned into a ring, and she placed it on her finger. A heart pattern appeared on her nail.</p><p>
  <em>This ring means a lot to me.</em>
</p><hr/><p>“Excuse me, Miss,” said the girl to the receptionist. “My friend’s unconscious.”</p><p>She had carried Michael all the way to the nearest hospital. Ibaraki Hospital, I believe it was called. They had given him a bed, and they allowed her to accompany him.</p><p>As she walked with the nurse to his room, she glanced into one of the rooms she was passing by. And her heart stopped for a split second.</p><p>She could hear the voice of Light Yagami speaking from inside.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Misfortune</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Misfortune</p><p>If anyone would know about misfortune, it would be the Magical Girls. After all, what is misfortune, if it isn’t having to slay Witches for the rest of your life, only to eventually become one yourself if you live?</p><p>What is misfortune, if it isn’t seeing a wish you made for someone else turn against you?</p><p>What is misfortune, if it isn’t being turned into a sacrifice for the good of the universe?</p><p>What is misfortune if it isn’t having to pay the consequences for a single wish?</p><hr/><p>The girl stared at the blonde lying on the bed and sighed in frustration. What was she supposed to do?</p><p>Misa would be out slaying Witches at this hour, and therefore a phone call to her was a no-go. Besides, it was dead. She forgot to charge it earlier.</p><p>In the end, she decided the best course of action was to wait until Michael woke up.</p><p>So she waited. And waited. And waited.</p><p>It seemed like time was crawling more sluggishly than usual, like the five minutes before the end of the last day of school, her impatience making a minute seem like an hour.</p><p>Michael’s things were beside her. They had given him a hospital gown, the reason being that his casual wear looked too uncomfortable to sleep in. He had a wallet, a phone, motorbike keys, and other things I couldn’t be bothered to list down.</p><p>The phone began to vibrate. <em>Bzzt. Bzzt.</em></p><p>It wasn’t her phone. It was Michael’s.</p><p>She picked it up, and saw the caller ID. <em>W.</em></p><p><em>How strange, </em>she thought. <em>But then again, he </em>is <em>L. Or at least claims to be them.</em></p><p>She wondered what would happen if she just let the phone ring. It wasn’t like he answered <em>every </em>call he ever got, right? Besides, who knows what would happen if she-</p><p>Curiosity got the best of her, and she answered the call.</p><p>
  <em>“M, this is Watari. You haven’t been answering my calls, and for a few moments you disappeared off the grid. I just received your distress signal, even though you sent it a while ago…can you tell me what’s going on?”</em>
</p><p>She immediately cut out the line and shut the phone.</p><p>Her breaths became sharp, her chest visibly moving up and down, up and down, up and down…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Watari…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>L’s…assistant? Representative? Laptop-holder?</em>
</p><p>She knew a little about L, and after meeting him, she scoured the internet for information about him. Not his identity; if he was truly as great as everyone said, she wouldn’t be able to find it. Rather, what she researched was his reputation as a detective…</p><p>And <em>boy, </em>did she find a lot.</p><p>So she knew who Watari was, and that she was screwed.</p><p>She looked towards the boy. <em>Watari answered, thinking I was Michael, and called me M instead of L. Or called Michael ‘M’ anyways. It could be it was to keep Michael’s identity a secret, but if that was the case, why didn’t he use a realistic name instead? Or his To-Oh alias? The caller being Watari points to links to L, which is strange, considering he </em>is <em>L, or says he is…</em></p><p>
  <em>Whatever the case, I cannot be sure if he’s the real L, and honestly, I now seriously doubt it. The way Michael acts doesn’t seem like L to me. L is careful, according to what I’ve seen, and Michael…Michael seems a little more reckless.</em>
</p><p>She thought back to the times they were together and frowned.</p><p>
  <em>He isn’t the real L, at least, probably, but he obviously has some sort of authority. He managed to get that stalker off my back, which L probably commissioned themselves, which means that either he’s powerful too or that he’s currently communicating with the real L.</em>
</p><p><em>He is not someone I should mess with. And if he, he and L were to find out about what I really am, about that other world…</em> She looked at her ring. <em>It could lead to drastic consequences.</em></p><p>After that thought hit her, she continued to stare at Michael.</p><p><em>And what about Light? He has that </em>Thing <em>following him…I can’t confront him about it, or tell anyone else…if I told, they’ll say I’m crazy, then Light will kill me, if he’s Kira. Besides, it would look suspicious if I knew about the Thing. </em></p><p> </p><p>Michael finally woke up, looking confused. “Matt…” he said, in a drowsy voice.</p><p>“No,” she said. “It’s (Y/N). You passed out, so I brought you here.”</p><p>He groaned and sat up. “What? How?”</p><p>She shrugged, feigning ignorance. “I don’t know either.” <em>So he can’t remember.</em></p><p>“And how did you carry me here?”</p><p>“I’m stronger than I look.” She cracked a smile. “Don’t judge a girl by her cover.”</p><p> </p><p>He smirked back. “You know, you’re cute when you smile…”</p><p>She heated up intensely. “N-no I’m not! S-stop lying!”</p><p>“I’m serious! Stop selling yourself short. I bet you have a lot of admirers. Maybe even a fan club.”</p><p>“No, I do not!”</p><p>He laughed. “Only teasing. Except about the ‘you being cute’ thing.”</p><p>“Aargh! You’re infuriating!” To be honest, she had never been this at ease with someone before. She had even switched her cold politeness for open anger.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah, you got a call.” Michael stiffened.</p><p>“From whom?”</p><p>“Watari. I answered it because I was curious…” She shrugged. “I guess this proves you really <em>are </em>connected with L.” Notice the way she didn’t say he was L.</p><p>“Hm…” She could practically see his mind whirring. “Can you give me my phone?”</p><p>She obliged.</p><p>“Please go out for a minute. I don’t want you to overhear my conversation. It’s nothing personal.” He flashed her a smile.</p><p> </p><p>She walked out of the room and sighed. <em>Oh god, why me… </em>She looked up to the sky. <em>What do I do?</em></p><p>She stroked her ring.</p><p>“Come back in.”</p><p>She looked at Michael. “What happened?”</p><p>“I’m not L.”</p><p>She blinked. “Alright.” <em>So I'm not screwed after all...</em></p><p>“What?” He looked so confused. “You’re not surprised?”</p><p>She checked her nails. “You didn’t really seem like L to me, no offense.”</p><p>He sighed. “I guess that’s a good thing. It means you’ll be useful.”</p><p>She gave him a sharp look. <em>“Useful, </em>Michael? Really?”</p><p>He raised his hands. “I mean <em>useful </em>as in useful in helping in solving the Kira case.”</p><p>She tilted her head to the side as she thought. <em>To be honest, even though I don’t really want to get involved, I have no real choice here. Inviting me on the Kira case is another way of monitoring me. It’s either that or they hook me up with another stalker, which is worse. </em></p><p>“Alright. What now?”</p><p>Michael stood up. “I’ll take you to him.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“L.”</p><hr/><p>When Michael told her that he wasn’t going to take her to L <em>today, </em>she had flicked his nose.</p><p> </p><p>“Ow! What was that for?”</p><p>“For making it seem like I was going to meet L right now, dummy!”</p><p>“I thought that the Japanese were supposed to be polite!”</p><p>“I thought that Americans were supposed to be cool! Guess we were both wrong!”</p><p> </p><p>They stared at each other for a while. Staring and staring and staring. Then they burst out laughing, chortling.</p><p>“Wow!” gasped the girl. “I haven’t laughed like that in ages!”</p><p>“Seriously?” asked Michael.</p><p>“Yeah!”`</p><p>Michael smirked. “I made you laugh. I guess that makes us friends now.”</p><p> </p><p>Now, dear reader, I should inform you that our protagonist, the girl, doesn’t make friends easily. Although it might seem strange to you, or indeed, a cliché, she found it easier to shut herself away from what was happening around her and not grow too many attachments, hence her desire to stay away from the Kira case. Of course, by now you have figured out that she has grown rather fond of Michael and his company, from her putting up with his flirting and teasing, to saving him from the Witch and taking him to hospital, though it could be argued that the latter was from a sense of duty as a Magical Girl. This is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your view.</p><p>But it might comfort you to know that Michael had also grown attached to our protagonist. Initially his interactions with her were purely for the benefit of the investigation, and L, but now he felt an intense feeling of gratitude and respect towards her, most likely stemming from his unconscious memories of her rescuing him from the Labyrinth, though he put it down to her bringing him to hospital.</p><p> </p><p>The girl looked at him, her eyes wide. “You’re my friend? Really?”</p><p>And in that moment, she looked and sounded not unlike a child. An innocent child, shy and vulnerable.</p><p>Maybe there was truth in that look.</p><p>There was truth in that look.</p><p>“Yeah,” said Michael, his swagger dying as he saw her look. “We’re friends.”</p><hr/><p>She waved Michael off as he walked away from hospital. “See you tomorrow…friend!” he yelled.</p><p>A giddy smile spread across the girl’s face. “See you, friend!” she called back.</p><p> </p><p>When he was out of sight, she laughed and smiled and twirled around, something she hadn’t done in a long time.</p><p>
  <em>I made a friend! I made a friend! I made a friend!</em>
</p><p>She was so happy; she didn’t notice Light Yagami looking at her.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s that girl again, Light,” said Ryuk, grinning.</p><p>“Yeah, it is,” Light murmured. “I wonder why I keep seeing her…”</p><hr/><p>Misa looked at her friend in shock. “(Y/N)! You’re smiling!”</p><p>“Am I?” The girl smiled wider.</p><p>“Yeah! What happened?”</p><p>The girl ran up to Misa and hugged her. “I made a friend! I made a friend! Michael’s my friend, Misa!”</p><p>Misa’s eyes widened, and she hugged her back. “I knew you’d get there in the end!” Misa said, smiling.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>‘Onee-chan! Onee-chan! I made a friend!’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘That’s great, Sakura! I knew you’d get there in the end! Soon you’ll be the most popular girl ever!’</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Soon you’ll be the most popular girl ever!” said Misa, her bittersweet tears falling on the girl’s shoulder.</p><hr/><p>The next day was an <em>interesting </em>one to say the least.</p><p> </p><p>Misa and the girl were watching television together.</p><p>“Let’s watch Hideki Ryuga!” said Misa. “He’s the best!”</p><p>“No, I want to watch a soap,” said the girl.</p><p>“Ok, we’ll flip a coin!” said Misa. “Misa-Misa is lucky, so I’m sure I’ll win!”</p><p>They were going to flip a coin until the channel that they were on suddenly became ten times more intriguing than usual.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Four days ago, an envelope containing four videotapes arrived at this station, addressed to one of our directors. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, sent by Kira.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The two girls blinked and started to watch it. “What’s happening?” asked Misa.</p><p>“Kira sent Sakura TV some videotapes,” the girl responded.</p><p>The newsreader proceeded to explain that Kira predicted the deaths of two criminals in the first tape, and their prediction came true. The second tape contained instructions to air it at exactly 5:59 pm that day.</p><p>
  <em>“The time is 5:59 pm. You are now going to see Kira’s video.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The girls watched with bated breaths.</p><p> </p><p>A neat, sophisticated 'Kira' appeared on the screen, written in gothic font.</p><p>
  <em>“I am Kira.”</em>
</p><p>The girl’s eyes widened. <em>“If this video is aired exactly at 5:59 pm, on April 18<sup>th</sup>…it is now 5:59 and 38, 39, 40 seconds…please switch channels to Taiyo TV. The news anchor, Mr. Kazuhiko Hibima, will die of a heart attack at precisely 6 pm.”</em></p><p>“Misa, switch the channel!” shouted the girl. Misa obliged.</p><p>The news anchor was dead. Misa switched back.</p><p><em>“Mr. Hibima constantly referred to me as ‘evil’ in his new reports. This is his punishment.” </em>Misa shook with fear. <em>“But one demonstration alone does not serve as absolute proof. I will present you with another. My next target is a commentator who has also condemned me repeatedly. He is scheduled to appear live on the air at this time…”</em></p><p>“This is sick,” said the girl, almost to herself. I am bound to agree. “Misa, can you switch to NHN? They might be covering this, and I don’t want to listen to more propaganda.”</p><p>“Neither do I,” said Misa, who switched the channel.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“We are cancelling our scheduled programme to broadcast live from in front of Sakura TV. we urge all our viewers to please stay calm. Regarding the broadcast currently being aired on Sakura TV, details will be reported as soon as they are available…”</em>
</p><p>The camera showed a man lying in front of the building. The girl tensed. <em>Is he…</em></p><p>The reporter continued talking, but it was like she couldn’t hear him. All she could see was the dead body…</p><p> </p><p>The silence was eerie. That was, until the truck crashed through the doors.</p><p>“Omigod!” shouted Misa, voicing the girl’s thoughts eloquently. “A truck!”</p><p> </p><p>The details are a little blurry after that, but there is one moment I will never forget.</p><p>All the human police, lined up in riot gear, blocking the exits and the camera’s view, as a symbol of unity and strength.</p><p>
  <em>“The police seem to be on the highest alert. The entire area around Sakura TV has been sealed off, except for a few checkpoints. the police are clearly planning to fight Kira!! Their answer is a resounding ‘NO’!! They are going to fight Kira!! The police are obviously rejecting Kira’s offered to work together! They going after him!! I… well, let me screw up some courage and say this… they’re doing the right thing! This is the right answer!! This is how a country under the rule of law ought to respond! My name is Koki Tanakabara. I am Koki Tanakabara, announcer on NHN TV's Golden News!”</em>
</p><p>It shows me there is more courage in humans than you might see.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Obsession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obsession is a strange thing. The feeling of being focused on one thing and one thing only is not one familiar to me. Light was obsessed with L. L was obsessed with Light.</p><p>If you felt obsession blooming inside you, what would you do?</p><hr/><p>The girl told Misa everything. About Michael, L, and the invitation to join the Task Force. Misa had taken it surprisingly well.</p><p>Misa gave the girl a big hug. “I-I understand if you want to join the Task Force and see L,” said Misa, her voice muffled in the girl’s shoulder. “My dad was a cop too. He had to do dangerous things every day, but he said he was proud of himself of doing the right thing and protecting people. H-he told me to try and do the right thing too.”</p><p>The girl smiled and hugged Misa back. “Don’t worry, Misa. I promise that I’ll stay safe. If push comes to shove, I’ll use my magic.”</p><p>Misa sniffled. “Please don’t die before you give Misa-Misa a niece.”</p><p>“Misa!”</p><hr/><p>The girl’s phone rang.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>
  <em>“(Y/N). It’s me.” </em>
</p><p>The girl smiled. “Michael. How are you?”</p><p><em>“I’m fine. I need you to go to…” </em>He listed off an address. <em>“There’s something I need to tell you. I’m taking you to meet someone.”</em></p><hr/><p>The house was fairly average. An ordinary, boring looking house, aside for the two rugged-looking motorcycles parked in the driveway.</p><p>What would you do in this situation? Ring the doorbell? Run away?</p><p>She walked up to the front door hesitantly, then, carefully lifting up her finger, rang the doorbell. She held her breath in anticipation.</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>She rang it again, and again, and again-</p><p>
  <em>It’s broken.</em>
</p><p>She almost screamed in frustration, but the only outward evidence of her inner turmoil I could see was the slight twitching of her eye. She took a deep, calming, breath, two deep breaths, three.</p><p>Knock, knock.</p><p>The door swung upon almost immediately, as they do in horror movies. Curiously, there was no-one at the door, and it almost seemed as if a ghost, or an entity had opened it. The girl thought nothing of it, and this strange occurrence would never be addressed.</p><p>The inside was much more interesting than the ordinary outside. The floor, for one, was scattered with toys, puzzle pieces, and a few finger puppets here and there. Upon closer observation, the girl found four figurines which, to her, were more significant than the others.</p><p>They seemed to be placed near a miniature version of the very house she was in, intricately detailed with nothing out of place (except for the fact that they were all placed on the floor, but I shall give the owner of these toys the benefit of the doubt and assume that they were left there for a reason).</p><p>One had blonde hair and icy blue eyes. His (she assumed it was male) mouth was contorted into a sneer, and he was clad in leather clothing. The thing that stuck out to her most, though, was his uncanny resemblance to the real-life Michael. There was writing on it too. <em>Mello.</em></p><p>She moved on to the next figurine. This one was wearing a stripy black-and-white jumper, with goggles perched on top of his auburn head. He seemed to be happy, with a smiling face. His name, according to the inscription, was <em>Matt. </em>Again, the girl noted the resemblance of the figure to another real-life person. Her stalker.</p><p>The third figurine was the most ugly-looking, I decided, with his staring, dead eyes, and his strangely formed mouth. It donned a set of pure white pyjamas, the same as his fluffy hair. His name was <em>Near. </em></p><p>The girl wondered who this <em>Near </em>was, and if she would meet him.</p><p>The last figurine was one of herself. Its hair, its eyes, its skin; all the same. It (it felt wrong to call it <em>her</em>, somehow) was wearing what the girl wore in that fateful day at the Yellowbox Warehouse. The details on it were much more refined than the ones on the others, making it seem more graceful and elegant, and the cold, sad expression on its face was done perfectly. It was, no doubt, meant to be her. Yet, when she read the writing, the creator had not written out her name in the careful handwriting used for the other puppets. No, written in an angry red, the letters slashed onto its front, was the name <em>KIRA.</em></p><p>“So you’re here.”</p><p>The girl dropped the doll and pulled out her pencil from her pocket. She proceeded to toss it in the direction of the sound.</p><p>The target, a white-haired boy, ducked as it flew over his head, and into the wall. It stuck there, twanging slightly.</p><p>The boy blinked, and the girl realized who he was.</p><p>“You’re Near?” she asked.</p><p>He nodded. “Yes. I am Near. I commend you on your incredible reflexes, (Y/N) (L/N). It was purely by luck that my eye wasn’t gouged out.”</p><p>He turned around. “Please follow me.”</p><p>He led her to the dining room, and on the way, she took note of the several chocolate wrappers scattered on the floor. <em>Does no one ever clean this place?</em></p><p>(The shattering of glass)</p><p>The dining room was somewhat better than the living room. <em>Somewhat.</em> Sat at the table were two people. Michael, and the stalker.</p><p>“So, how did it go?” asked the stalker, addressing Near.</p><p>“She threw a pencil at me. Otherwise, it went smoothly.”</p><p>The girl noticed Michael’s sullen expression, as he took a bite out of a chocolate bar in his hand. <em>Crack.</em></p><p>“I presume that ‘Near’ is an alias?”</p><p>Near nodded. “Yes. It is customary for people such as us.”</p><p>“Detectives?”</p><p>“Yes.” Near took a seat on the floor.</p><p>The girl’s eyes flicked from Michael, to the stalker, to Near, to her ring, to Michael, to the stalker, to Near, to her ring, to Michael, to the stalker, to Near, to her ring-</p><p>“You must be nervous.” It was the first time her stalker had addressed her.</p><p>“No. I’m not,” she lied.</p><p>The stalker gave her a lopsided smile. “Um…so you probably know me…”</p><p>“Yes. I do.”</p><p>“I’m Matt,” said the stalker. “And…I’m sorry about the whole stalking thing. Didn’t really want to do it, but what with the Kira case and all…”</p><p>“Who made those finger puppets?”</p><p> </p><p>Silence.</p><p> </p><p>“I did,” said Near, crashing two robots together as he spoke.</p><p>The girl pursed her lips and looked down. “I-I see.”</p><p>Michael glared at Near. “Near, what the hell did you do to (Y/N)?”</p><p>“I did nothing.” Near gave the girl a crooked smile. “It was all her.”</p><p>The girl’s expression darkened for a second, before returning to a carefully neutral one. <em>He’s…he was testing me, wasn’t he? And he’s testing me now…</em></p><p>Michael growled. “Look, Near, I won’t have you picking on-”</p><p>“Please get to the point. I want to know why I’m here and who are you people.” At this point the girl had lowered her head so that no one could see her eyes, but if they could, they would have seen a hint of the secrets she held within herself, for no one to see.</p><p>“We’re the successors of L, so to speak,” said Near, completely disregarding the tension. “I’m first in line, Mello is second, and Matt is third. And you are here because you are Kira.”</p><p>The silence this time was much deeper, quieter, if that were possible. Matt and Mello looked on at the girl, the former gauging her reaction.</p><p> </p><p>Her reaction? Laughter.</p><p> </p><p>“Me? Kira? You must be-” She shot Near a crooked smile of her own “-delusional. I, for one, do not support Kira at all. And wouldn’t have Matt and Mello said something if I seemed to be like them?”</p><p>Matt nodded uneasily. “That…is true. Nothing she did made me suspect her of being Kira.”</p><p>“Same here,” said Mello, smirking.</p><p>“Truth is-” she said, casually examining her ring “-is that your suspicions are based on nothing but a gut theory. Which means that you have no idea who Kira is.”</p><p><em>Sorry, Near, but I had to put you in your place. Accusing me of being Kira is frankly…not ridiculous at all. I </em>am<em> very suspicious, after all. If you dug any deeper into me and my past, or had </em>properly <em>stalked me, then you would have found out my secret, eventually. Doesn’t mean you’ll stop suspecting me, but what I said makes your suspicions a little less believable. </em></p><p>
  <em>Hopefully. Or mocking you just made them sure I was hiding something, but let’s not read too much into it, or else we’ll be going round in circles forever.</em>
</p><p>Near frowned. “You are Kira. I just have to prove it.”</p><p>The girl smiled languidly. “Whatever you say, Near. Whatever you say.”</p><hr/><p>They took her to a room with a TV in it. They showed her the Kira tapes.</p><p>“There are possibly two Kiras,” she stated. “This person seems like an idiot, and Kira isn’t an idiot.” Mello grinned. He was doing that a lot since the girl trash-talked Near. “Also, this Kira only needs a face, compared to the real Kira who needs a name too.”</p><p>“That’s what we suspect too,” said Matt, impressed. “Mello was right. You’re crazy smart.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl gave him a gentle smile. “Thanks…Matt.”</p><p>Matt turned pink, and his eyes widened. He looked away</p><p> </p><p>Mello took a bite out of his chocolate, and smirked. “Looks like we have one confirmed member of the (Y/N) Fan Club.”</p><p>“Don’t be ridiculous, Michae-Mello.” She fell silent. “Which do you prefer, Mello, or Michael?”</p><p>A sober look came onto his face. “Mello.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl stared at the TV, at the word ‘Kira’ on it. “Why do you suppose that so many people support Kira?”</p><p>Near stacked his dice calmly. “They are fanatics, Kira.” he stated.</p><p>Mello bit into his chocolate. “What do <em>you </em>think?”</p><p>She shrugged. “They’re not wrong, but they’re not right. It’s not like I truly know the reason why they are doing this.”</p><p>“So you’re <em>neutral?” </em>asked Near. “Wise decision.” The way he said the word ‘neutral’ made it sound like an insult.</p><p>“Yes.” She smiled. “I suppose so.”</p><p> </p><p>She got up from her place and looked outside. “Oh my. It’s gotten dark…”</p><p>“Matt can drop you off,” said Near immediately.</p><p>“Huh, what about-” started Mello.</p><p>“Mello must remain here so we can discuss some things. Till we meet again, Kira.”</p><hr/><p>“So, what do you do in your spare time?” asked Matt. He was trying to make conversation, and while the girl didn’t talk much, she didn’t shut him down either.</p><p>“I…don’t get that much spare time,” she admitted. “But when I do…” she told him her hobbies.</p><p>“Cool,” said Matt, grinning. “I like to play video games. And I’m not too bad at coding too.”</p><p>“Why are you telling me all this?” she asked him suddenly. “Aren’t I a suspect?”</p><p>He shrugged. “If Mello trusts you, I trust you too. He’s suspicious of <em>everyone, </em>so he must have a good reason to like you.”</p><p>She thought back to the Witch she saved him from. “Yes. He must have a good reason.”</p><p>He laughed. “And I doubt that he would trust Kira, so…” Somehow, she didn’t believe Matt. Maybe it was the tension in his posture, or the way his eyes kept on flicking from side to side, but she couldn’t help but think he wasn’t feeling the same things he was saying.</p><p> </p><p>She stopped walking. “This is my stop.”</p><p>Matt smiled. “Alright. Oh, and one more thing. There will be a response to the Second Kira’s video. Except it won’t be from Kira.” And just like that, he walked away.</p><p>The girl went inside Misa Amane’s house. There were some things they needed to do.</p><hr/><p>The two girls pored over the maps in Misa’s room.</p><p> </p><p>“It looks like there’s been more Witches in Kanto lately,” commented Misa.</p><p>“Yeah. Especially around where we live.”</p><p>“But even though other places are gaining Witches too, we have the most,” said Misa, gesturing to another map, marked out with black dots, which I assumed represented the Witches. “Which must mean that the Witches here are reproducing faster than others.”</p><p>“It makes no sense,” muttered the girl. “When we kill a Witch, all the Familiars die too. We might occasionally leave some behind, but…”</p><p>“The sudden surge makes no sense,” agreed Misa. “Why should there be more Witches than before? Magical Girls don’t even try to sneak in here…” The implication behind that wasn’t spoken. If there was one rule the girls had, it was to not speak of <em>it.</em></p><p> </p><p>The girl frowned as the gears in her mind whirred.</p><p>
  <em>Witches.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Magical Girls.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Grief Seeds.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Soul Gems.</em>
</p><p>There was something that they were missing. Something she wasn’t considering…</p><p>
  <em>Kira.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shinigami.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe there are more people getting infected with Kisses from a Familiar lately,” suggested Misa. “You never know…”</p><p>It clicked.</p><p> </p><p>Her mind flashed back to the beginning of all this, the woman, Naomi Misora…</p><p>What was it she said?</p><p>
  <em>“Kira, he made me…”</em>
</p><p>“Misa…” uttered the girl. “What do you think happens to the people who Kira kill?”</p><p>Misa paled. “I-I don’t know. I suppose they die normally…”</p><p>“But Naomi Misora…” The girl agitatedly twisted her ring. “She said…something about Kira making her do it. Kira can control actions before death. Kira can make a person commit suicide. Kira can make someone commit suicide without a reason. Witches can make people commit suicide without a reason. Kira is…”</p><p>“(Y/N), are you saying…?”</p><p>“Misa…I think Kira is creating Witches.”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“…That…how?” asked Misa, her eyes widening in fear.</p><p>“Kira uses the power of a Shinigami,” she said. “And if there’s anything we know, it’s that power always comes with a price.” She smiled bitterly. “Now you say it…it makes sense. Whenever Kira tries to wipe away ‘evil,’ he’s just bringing more despair to the world. I guess this is the balance the world maintains. Not only for Magical Girls, but for ordinary humans too. It’s useless. This world is rotten. There’s no use trying to fix it.”</p><p>Misa frowned angrily. “(Y/N)! Don’t say that! Even though there are bad things in the world, we can’t just give up! It’s fighting, never giving up hope which allows good things to happen! Maybe the good guys don’t always win. Maybe people don’t always say ‘thank you.’ But still…this is <em>our </em>world! We have to protect it! Because if we don’t, who will?” As Misa spoke, an impassioned light filled her eyes, and I felt a new respect for the Magical Girl Misa Amane.</p><p>There is always something to be admired in people who never lose hope.</p><p>The girl looked at her friend in surprise. “Yes…” She smiled, a more happy, hopeful smile. “We can’t stop fighting. You’re right.” <em>Misa, as long as there are good people like you in the world, you, and </em>her, <em>I think I won’t turn into a Witch. Thank you for being my friend. </em>“Thanks for being my friend, Misa.”</p><p>Misa smiled. “Anytime. Misa-Misa is here for you!”</p><p>The girl smiled back.</p><hr/><p>A few days later, Misa left early for a photo shoot, and the girl went to university. She wondered if she would meet Michael over there again, or he would play hooky.</p><p>She wondered if she would meet the Thing over there.</p><p> </p><p>Class flew by as usual. There was no sight of Michael anywhere. She was a bit saddened at that fact, but then, her mind wandered from her sadness when she caught sight of Light Yagami. With him, the Thing.</p><p>Oh, I almost forgot Kiyomi Takada. She was walking beside Light and staring at him with a dreamy look on her face.</p><p><em>So the lady-killer strikes again, huh? </em>The girl was no stranger to Light’s reputation around girls. She kept a mental note to be cautious around him.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)-san!” called out a voice.</p><p>The girl blinked. “Oh. Hello, Ryuga.”</p><p>Ryuga gave her a small smile from his crouching position on the bench.</p><p>“I’ve noticed that you seem more troubled today than usual,” he said to her. “Is something the matter?”</p><p>She shook her head. “No. I’m perfectly fine,” she said, lying through her teeth, of course.</p><p>The Thing laughed but made no acknowledgment of her otherwise. She wondered why. Assuming that nobody but her could see him, she wondered why the Thing didn’t talk more freely…</p><p>“(Y/N)-san?”</p><p>She blinked. “Oh, yes. I have to go now. Goodbye, Ryuga.”</p><p>“Farwell, (Y/N)-san.”</p><p> </p><p>She walked on, not really looking where she was going, her mind wandering to other places, places such as-</p><p>
  <em>CRASH.</em>
</p><p>“Ah!” She fell to the ground, her knees scraping against the tarmac.</p><p>“Are you alright?”</p><p>She looked up, and a sense of déjà vu overcame her. A handsome young man, offering her his hand. And right behind him, a terrifying monster. The girl sucked her breath in sharply. “Yes. I am fine.” She took his hand and hoisted herself up.</p><p>The man whom she had collided with was wearing a suit and had black hair. His eyes were hidden behind glasses, which seemed to flick over to her head, then back to her face.</p><p>“I deeply apologise,” he said, and the girl’s own gaze flicked to the Other Thing behind him. It seemed female, with one of her eyes hidden with bandages, and a skeleton look to her. She was covered in white flesh, and her one eye was fixated on her.</p><p>“No, I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s my own fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”</p><p>He smiled. “Alright then.” He left.</p><p>At least, he was about to leave before Misa barrelled into him. They both crashed into the ground, landing in a very awkward position indeed.</p><p>“Misa!” shouted the girl.</p><p>“Sorry!” she said, helping the man up.</p><p>The man chuckled. “That’s twice today. Curious…”</p><p>“What are you doing here?” asked the girl.</p><p>“I finished the first half, so I came to see you!” said Misa.</p><p> </p><p>The man’s eyes, unbeknownst to anyone but me and the Other Thing, gleamed a malicious red.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! Mikami!” exclaimed Misa. “It’s you!”</p><p>“You know him?” asked the girl.</p><p>“Yeah,” said Misa. “He was the prosecutor for my case…” she fell silent.</p><p>Mikami bowed to her. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to bring the robber who killed your parents to justice,” he said stiffly. “I regret it every day.”</p><p>Misa smiled sadly. “It’s alright.”</p><p>“But at least <em>Kira </em>brought justice upon him…”</p><p>Misa’s facial expression changed. “Yes.” She didn’t sound like she meant her words.</p><p>
  <em>Kira brought justice upon him, huh?</em>
</p><p>They stood in silence, before the man, bowing to them one final time, walked away.</p><p>Misa looked at the girl. “Mikami…”</p><p>“Yes,” the girl confirmed.</p><p>Misa’s happy expression darkened. “I have to get back now. Stay safe.”</p><p>“I will.”</p><p> </p><p>Misa walked away from her, and the girl was all alone.</p><p>Finally.</p><hr/><p>The girl stood there, her thoughts filling the silence around her.</p><p>
  <em>Another Thing? How?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What’s-what’s happening? What are those things? Are they Shinigami? Or something else? And if they are Shinigami…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The men watching her the past few minutes suddenly leaped at her, restraining her so she couldn’t move. A hand clapped over her mouth. She bit into it, but it remained where it was. The man holding her winced in pain “MMMM!” she screamed; her sounds muffled. “MMMM!” They tightly tied a blindfold around her eyes and cuffed her hands.</p><p>“You are under arrest, (Y/N) (L/N), under the suspicion of being Kira!”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Knowledge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Songs mentioned:<br/>Sis Puella Magica, composed by Yuki Kajiura.<br/>Alumina, composed by the band Nightmare, english lyrics by Jayn.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Knowledge is power, ignorance is bliss.</p><p>It’s a fact that has remained true for generations. The ordinary people live unaware of the world of Magical Girls, living their lives without knowing that those Girls are risking their lives for their happiness. Most Magical Girls live believing they are the heroes of their story, rather than the victims.</p><p>Light Yagami killed criminals, believing, in his ignorance, that he was relieving the world of its burden, when in reality he was simply increasing the burden of the Magical Girls.</p><p>Between power and happiness, what would you choose?</p><hr/><p>Misa Amane called the girl’s phone.</p><p>“(Y/N)? What happened? You’d said you’d come over today?”</p><p>
  <em>“Um, Misa, something’s come up. I won’t be able to come over, sorry.”</em>
</p><p>A voice rang in Misa’s mind. Telepathy. <em>‘Misa,’ </em>spoke the girl inside Misa’s head. <em>‘They have me. I’m being held captive under suspicion of being Kira. I-I’m not sure when they’ll release me, but don’t worry. You have to keep hunting Witches. If it gets too much, I have no problem with you asking another Magical Girl for help, but don’t try to rescue me. I don’t want to put you in danger.’</em></p><p>Misa smiled. “Alright!” she chirped into the phone. “Misa-Misa see you when you’re able to come, ‘kay?”</p><p><em>‘But are you sure?’ </em>asked Misa telepathically. <em>‘Especially with the Witches…I don’t think I’ll need help with hunting, but still. I don’t want you to be tortured or starved or anything!”</em></p><p><em>‘They’re treating me well,’ </em>the girl responded. <em>‘There’s no need to worry.’</em></p><p><em>“Bye, Misa,” </em>said the girl.</p><p>“Bye.”</p><p>The call ended.</p><p>Misa knew for a fact that the girl hated telepathy. She would use it when she was desperate, but she had told Misa that it felt ‘invasive.’ She still didn’t like the idea of leaving the girl to fend for herself, but if that’s what she wanted…</p><p>Misa sighed, and stared at the red circle on her nail, above her ring. <em>Please be safe…</em></p><p>
  <em>…</em>
</p><p>DAY 1</p><p>…</p><p>They were not treating the girl well.</p><p>The cell they had taken the girl to had white walls, a white floor, and a white mattress on a metal frame. The door was painted white too, with two slots. One above, to look through, and one below, to slide plates through.</p><p>The girl’s hands and feet were not bound, and she was able to walk freely around her cell. She reached to her hand, and found that her ring was still in place, to her utmost relief.</p><p>There was a camera. A black one, which stuck out in this room. Its line of sight was trained right on her.</p><p>
  <em>“Kira.” </em>
</p><p>“Near,” the girl responded.</p><p>
  <em>“I assume you know why you’re here.”</em>
</p><p>“Yes.” <em>So you can see if the killings stop.</em></p><p>
  <em>“Then you also know how long you’re going to be in here.”</em>
</p><p>“If Kira kills on, or if you kill me.”</p><p>
  <em>“Yes. I am glad to see that you understand my intentions. It means I do not have to explain anything to you.”</em>
</p><p>“Near, do you hate me?”</p><p>
  <em>“…You are Kira. Of course I dislike you.”</em>
</p><p>She smiled. “It’s such a shame. Because I rather like <em>you.”</em></p><p>The static stopped, and the girl knew that Near had disconnected.</p><p>…</p><p>DAY 2</p><p>…</p><p>The girl had stopped speaking. Near had stopped too. The girl wondered if Near was hoping to drive her mad with the silence. If he was, it was working.</p><p>(A drawing of a family, made with a child’s hand. The ripped-up paper, scattered in the bin. Papers with signatures. Bottles all over the kitchen floor.) </p><p>She twisted her ring agitatedly. She didn’t like this silence. Because this silence was thrumming with memories.</p><p>(Mothers. Test papers. Labyrinths. Laughter. A promise that was broken. A cup of coffee.)</p><p>She wondered if there was any way to make herself forget.</p><p>(The gentle rocking of a ship. The icy cold snow falling from the sky. A strange creature, one who spoke. <em>‘Will you make a contract with me?’)</em></p><p>“(Y/N).”</p><p><em>‘Kyubey,’ </em>responded the girl.</p><p>“I see you aren’t faring well.”</p><p>
  <em>‘I can see that too.’</em>
</p><p>Its red eyes bore into her. “I am not here to manipulate you, rest assured.”</p><p>
  <em>‘So you admit it?’</em>
</p><p>“Admit what? You humans were the ones who made the choice.”</p><p>
  <em>‘You know what? There’s actually no use wasting my energy hating you. You have no feelings, so you wouldn’t understand.’</em>
</p><p>“I am glad that you are starting to think logically, (Y/N).”</p><p>
  <em>‘Doesn’t mean I’ll stop hating you.’</em>
</p><p>The Incubator sighed heavily. “You humans are all the same. But at the very least, your hate will help you fall into despair.”</p><p>
  <em>‘I advise you to get out before I strangle you to death.’</em>
</p><p>“As you wish.” And thus Kyubey left, strutting under the slot in the door.</p><hr/><p>She wondered if she was stuck in a nightmare, or a dream.</p><p>Her sleep brought her to a barren land, scattered with bones, and a grey sky above her. There was an incessant ringing in her ears, which made it hard to hear anything. She could hear something saying her name. It…didn’t sound human. She could feel an unbearable pain in her back, all over her body, a pain, like-</p><p>An unknown force suddenly pulled her upwards. She realised that she was floating in some strange place, in her Magical Girl outfit. A girl, with long pink hair in white bows and dressed in a long gown, floated before her. She couldn’t have been more than fourteen. The pink-haired girl grabbed her shoulders.</p><p>“(Y/N)!” she was saying. Her words seemed to be lost in space, so far away the girl could barely hear her. “Don’t tell anyone. Don’t tell anyone the secret. Don’t tell them about the Thing…don’t…or you’ll…”</p><p>The dream faded to black, and for the rest of her sleep, the girl fell through an endless void.</p><p>…</p><p>DAY 3</p><p>…</p><p>The silence in the room was broken by the girl’s voice.</p><p>“Samia, dostia. </p><p>Ari aditia.</p><p>Tori, adito madora.”</p><p>She sang the words fluently, as if she had sung them a hundred times a day, and not some four or five years ago, in a memory she kept buried inside her. Her voice was sweet, and sad.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>“Estia, morita.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nari amitia</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sori, arito asora.”</em>
</p><p>“Near,” said Matt, looking at the image on the screen. “(Y/N)’s singing.”</p><p>No response.</p><p>“It’s a pretty song,” said Mello, looking at the girl. “Wonder where she learnt it.”</p><hr/><p>“Semari aisi, isola matola.</p><p>Soribia doche, irora, amita.</p><p>Samaria dose, ifia mio, lora,</p><p>Fia, sia, adora.</p><p>Adora.”</p><p> </p><p>Silence again, but it was a better silence now. More bearable.</p><p> </p><p>“You have a nice voice.”</p><p>The girl jumped. It wasn’t Near. The voice seemed to be coming from the room next to her, slightly muffled. A male’s voice, familiar, but she couldn’t seem to recall where she had heard that voice.</p><p>“Who are you?” she asked.</p><p>“I’m…” The boy paused. “I’m a Kira suspect.”</p><p>“What a coincidence. So am I,” she responded.</p><p>“I volunteered to be here, though,” he said.</p><p>“Lucky you. They kidnapped me.”</p><p>The boy chuckled. “The man in charge isn’t much of a gentleman, I’m afraid. I should know. I met him.”</p><p>“I haven’t, but I elbowed the one <em>I </em>met in the gut. He forgave me later on, though, so I guess it’s alright now.”</p><p>The boy laughed. “You elbowed him? Was he that creepy?”</p><p>“No, but he was invading my personal space, so…”</p><p>“Understandable.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I think I would do the same if I were you.”</p><p>“Yes, it was actually very satisfying.”</p><p>He laughed again. “Where did you learn that song? I’ve never heard it before.”</p><p>“Oh, on a trip to the North Pole. I went with my family to see the Aurora Borealis.”</p><p>“Did you?”</p><p>“Yes. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.”</p><p>They sat in the comfortable silence for a while. Then the boy spoke.</p><p>“Do you mind singing another song? It’s a nice distraction…”</p><p>“Alright, then.”</p><p>The girl began. “As the flowing waves of time continue without end, there’s a light, that glimmers, just for a bit…”</p><p>
  <em>…</em>
</p><p>DAY 10</p><p>…</p><p>The two captives had taken a habit of talking to each other, and though they didn’t know who the other was, they had become ‘friends,’ of a sort.</p><p>“So, how’s life, <em>Kira?”</em> the girl asked. They called each other Kira. It was a little joke they had.</p><p>“Well, <em>Kira,</em> I look pretty bad. But this pride…I’ll just have to get rid of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Silence. Until-</p><p> </p><p>“Ryuzaki!” <em>Who?</em> “I know that I chose to be confined, but…I just realised this is pointless! Because…because I am not Kira! Let me out!”</p><p>
  <em>What? He-he’s suddenly protesting his innocence…but a few minutes ago, he seemed totally okay with being confined, I mean, okay as in not screaming about it. What’s with the sudden change?</em>
</p><p>There was a block of ‘silence.’</p><p>“I did say that…but…there was something wrong with me then! Do you really think that Kira could kill without being conscious? I don’t know how he kills, but he definitely exists, and is killing by his own free will! I have no consciousness of such acts, so I can’t be Kira!”</p><p>More silence.</p><p>“Ryuzaki, I swear I’m not lying! I’m not Kira!” shouted the boy. “I must have been framed!”</p><p>“…It’s no use,” said the girl. “If ‘Ryuzaki’ is anything like the one who confined me, I don’t think he’ll let you go.”</p><p>“Wait a minute…if I’m not Kira, then <em>you</em> must be Kira!” The girl’s eyes widened.</p><p>The girl pulled up her knees to her chest, and buried her face in them, so Near couldn’t see her tears. Her body started to shake, and her Soul Gem…</p><p>It started to cloud over.</p><p>
  <em>No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, why? What did I do? We were supposed to be friends…I didn’t do anything…did I do something…?</em>
</p><p>Her Gem was growing darker with despair, darker and darker and darker….</p><p>I had no option. I know I’m not supposed to interfere, but… I hit the girl on her head, <em>hard. </em>She collapsed to the ground. The good news is, since she couldn’t feel despair properly while unconscious, her Soul Gem cleared up again.</p><hr/><p>The girl dreamed she was in that barren wasteland again. In front of her was a dark cave, which she entered. For what reason, she did not know. Strangely, that familiar ringing in her ears was missing this time. On and on she walked, into that dark cave. Inside it, she found her destination.</p><p>A strange creature, with spider-like legs, suspended from the ceiling by chains, a skull like face with eyes staring right through her. And below him, the pink-haired girl she had met in her dreams, dressed up in her long white gown.</p><p>“A-aren’t you…” the girl said.</p><p>“Yes, I’m the one from your dreams.” The pink-haired girl smiled. “My name is Madoka Kaname, but you can call me Madoka.”</p><p>“And I am the Shinigami King,” said the creature.</p><p>The girl blinked. “Shinigami, as in…”</p><p>“Yes, I am also the King of Kira’s Shinigami. I am thankful that you are alive, (Y/N) (L/N),” he said. He certainly didn’t look like it. “Granted, you would still be alive as a Witch, but that is not something I would wish upon anyone.”</p><p>Madoka gave me a slight smile, of thanks, I presume. I gave her a cordial nod in response.</p><p>“Shinigami King, do you mind if I take her to my place?” Madoka asked. “A cave isn’t exactly a comfortable place.”</p><p>“You may,” he said. “Be sure to fill me in later.”</p><p> </p><p>A whoosh of light, and they were in an flat, sitting at a table. Later on, I would find out that this flat resembled one that used to belong to Magical Girl Mami Tomoe, a former friend of Madoka’s.</p><p>Madoka poured the girl a drink. A cup of her favourite drink, I believe, and some treats on the side. Madoka was no longer in her Goddess attire, but curiously, in a school uniform. Her pink bob fell untied around her face.</p><p>“This must be a little shocking for you.” Madoka giggled. “Don’t worry, we’re here to help.”</p><p>“Help?” inquired the girl, tilting her head. “You mean help me?”</p><p>“Yes.” Madoka smiled. “We are.”</p><p>“So how are you going to ‘help me?” asked the girl.</p><p>“You see-” Madoka rested her hands on her lap “-there are rules governing Shinigami-Magical Girl relationships. Strict rules. I tried to tell you about them earlier, but it was hard to reach you.”</p><p>“You told me not to tell them about the Thing,” said the girl, then took a sip from her cup. “You said something would happen…”</p><p>“Shinigami and Magical Girls can’t reveal the existence of each other,” said Madoka.</p><p>“If a Magical Girl, even if she doesn’t know the rules, reveals the existence of a Shinigami to humans, then the Shinigami is allowed to reveal the existence of her, and vice versa. In the case that the Shinigami reveals her existence, then the Shinigami in question receives first-degree agony.” Madoka took a sip from her own cup. “Of course, this rule is averted if the Shinigami or Magical Girl has revealed themselves already to the humans."</p><p>“That means that the Things…they <em>are </em>Shinigami,” said the girl.</p><p>“Yes. They are.” Madoka sipped her tea again.</p><p>The room started to flicker. “It looks like you’re going to wake up soon,” said Madoka. “Be careful. Oh, and by the way, he didn’t mean it.”</p><p>“What do you-”</p><hr/><p>“-mean?”</p><p>The girl woke up back in her room. Well, her prison, more like. She looked at her ring, which was perfectly clear. <em>Good. Lucky thing I passed out, or else I would have turned into a Witch…</em></p><p>She shuddered at the thought.</p><p>“Hey…are you there?” <em>Him.</em></p><p>“Yes. What do you want?” Her voice was cold.</p><p>“I…want to apologise. That accusation was out of line. I’m sorry.”</p><p>The girl remembered what Madoka had said to her. “It’s alright.”</p><p>“Really?” His tone was one of surprise.</p><p>“I forgive you. I’ve been called worse, honestly.” She smiled.</p><p>“Still…”</p><p>“Ah, well, I can get you back when I get out of this place. Put bugs in your bed or something, or mess up all your homework.”</p><p>“Please don’t,” he said, laughing.</p><p>…</p><p>DAY 53</p><p>…</p><p>The girl was out.</p><p>She was finally out.</p><p>And…she got to see <em>him.</em></p><p> </p><p>Brown hair, caramel eyes, perfectly sculpted face-</p><p>LIGHT YAGAMI?!</p><p>She blinked her eyes furiously to make sure she was seeing the right person. He couldn’t be Light Yagami! The Light Yagami <em>she </em>knew was kind of sleazy, and fake, and-</p><p>But this boy’s eyes were wide with innocence, and he had an open expression which made one instantly trust him. Indeed, he was Light Yagami.</p><p> </p><p>She noted the absence of the Thing. Or rather, the Shinigami.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)?” said Light in astonishment. “You’re the girl?”</p><p>“Yes, Light, I am a girl.”</p><p>“No, I mean, you’re the other Kira suspect?”</p><p>She smiled. “Yes, I am. Surprised?”</p><p>“Yes! You can’t be Kira, you’re…(Y/N)!” I briefly wondered if being in prison sucked out his brainpower temporarily.</p><p>“Thank you.” The girl glared at the camera. “At least <em>someone </em>thinks that I am not Kira.”</p><p>Near offered no comment. Neither did L.</p><p> </p><p>She was pushed into the car by a man. Serious-looking, though he seemed ill, with a moustache on his upper lip. Of course, her attention was diverted by the other man in the car.</p><p>“Mikami?” she asked.</p><p>“Yes,” he said. He was missing his glasses. He looked, <em>broken, </em>in a way, the look in his eyes something she hadn’t seen for a long time in the eyes of an ordinary human.</p><p>“Mikami…what happened?” No answer.</p><p>The man started driving.</p><p>“What’s going on, dad?” asked Light. <em>Dad? </em>“Are we finally being released?”</p><p>“No. Right now, you three are being taken to your execution.” <em>What? </em>“An underground facility has been set up, and your executions will be carried out in secret. I volunteered to take you there.”</p><p> </p><p>A barrage of thoughts invaded the girl’s mind, swirling round and round and round. But the words that escaped her mouth were, “But I’m not Kira.”</p><p>Light looked at her. “(Y/N) …the killings have stopped.”</p><p>“No,” said Soichiro. “The killings continue.”</p><p>“Then why are we being executed?” asked Mikami. His voice was low and cold.</p><p>“L has concluded that Light Yagami and (Y/N) (L/N) are Kira, and Teru Mikami the Second Kira,” said Soichiro.</p><p>“Then L is an idiot,” said the girl.</p><p> </p><p>You might be wondering how the girl can be so brazen in the face of her own death. Well, the truth was, it wasn’t likely that she would die. It is not uncommon for Magical Girls to recover from usually-mortal injuries, because, again, of their Soul Gems. Poisons do not have much of an effect on them at all, as far as I know. I have even heard of one Magical Girl immediately regenerating her arm when it was destroyed. So no, the girl was not worried about dying. What she was <em>really </em>worried about, is how she would explain to these people <em>why she would not die. </em></p><p>She was also worried about the fact about the needless murder of the two other people, even though they <em>technically </em>weren’t innocent, since they had Shinigami stalking them at one point. But <em>technically </em>they <em>were </em>innocent <em>now</em> since the Shinigami were nowhere in sight, even though they weren’t innocent before… She needed to stop pondering over it before her brain started leaking out of her ears.</p><p> </p><p>“That wasn’t what I was told…” said Light, his eyes wide.</p><p>“L was probably keeping it from you on purpose, to get a confession. It’s not important now. He has promised that your deaths end the killings, and the police and government have agreed to his proposal. Kira will be eradicated in secret…”</p><p>“I have said this once, and I will say it again. I am not Kira,” said the girl calmly. She was used to insane people. “And I doubt the other people here are Kira’s either. Even a child can see the problems with L’s reasoning. Which leads to the question…why are you doing this? What do you have to gain by seeing your own child die, when you <em>know </em>that he is innocent?” Her eyes, reflected in the rear-view mirror, sent a chill down the man’s spine. They seemed to be analysing him, looking into the deepest depths of his soul. If had to pick the one most likely to be Kira, he’d choose her in a heartbeat.</p><p>“It was L’s choice, not mine. If this doesn’t work, L will take responsibility and commit suicide,” said Soichiro.</p><p>Light started to babble stuff about L, about how he wouldn’t end the case like this. The girl kept her icy-cold eyes fixed on Soichiro, not letting the panicked thoughts running through her head show up in her face.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re here.” The destination? The middle of nowhere. It clicked in her head.</p><p>“You’re going to kill us here, aren’t you?” asked the girl quietly.</p><p>“Yes,” said Soichiro. “But…” He turned his head around. “Light, I’m going to kill <em>you,</em> then myself.”</p><p>The girl’s pupils dilated. She started to tremble as stories of other Magical Girls like herself started to brew in her mind…</p><p>“You’re insane,” said the girl. “You have a wife and a daughter, don’t you? Are you going to leave them behind?” <em>Light’s sister…she’s fourteen, isn’t she? What if…what if she makes a Contract? I’d expect she’d be desperate for her family to come back… </em></p><p>The Incubator wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity like that if it arose, no matter if he was welcome in Kanto or not.</p><p>“She’s right,” said Mikami, looking up. His eyes were gleaming in a strange way, with anger. “If you do that, you’re nothing more than a murderer.”</p><p>“No…I’m different,” Soichiro said. “I have the responsibility of being his father and the police chief.”</p><p>The girl’s eyes turned even colder. “You’re not just Light’s father, or the police chief. You’re Sayu’s father too, and your wife’s husband. You’re just going to leave them to wallow in their misery? You’ll just kill yourself and leave them to fall into despair?” <em>Despair.</em></p><p> </p><p>Light began to desperately plead to his father. “If we’ll die here, then we’ll never uncover the truth! We should run away! I’ll find the truth while running!” he cried.</p><p>Soichiro Yagami pulled out his gun. “Mikami, (L/N), we might die here, but when the police find this car, you’ll be executed as well.”</p><p>Mikami hung his head as Light started babbling again.</p><p>“Shut up,” said Soichiro.</p><p>“Dad!!” shouted Light, as Soichiro pointed the gun towards his son.</p><p>“Light, we’re both murderers. We’ll see each other again in hell.”</p><p> </p><p>It was a no-brainer for the girl, really. She pushed Light out of the way, coming into the gun’s shooting range instead.</p><p>“(Y/N)!” Light screamed.</p><p> </p><p>There was no bullet hitting the girl’s head, only smoke coming out of the barrel, and the girl lying on Light in a very embarrassing position.</p><p>“Ah!” The girl felt her body heat up and scuttled away from Light. “S-S-Sorry!”</p><p>Soichiro slumped in his chair. “Thank god…” he muttered.</p><p> </p><p>The girl frowned, as her conclusions broke apart, spun around in space for a while, then quickly repositioned themselves into a completely new theory.</p><p>She blinked once. “This is a set up.”</p><p>“Yes,” responded Soichiro</p><p>“There are cameras.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You were waiting to see if we would kill you.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“So…we’re cleared now.”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p><em>“Very good, (Y/N)-san,” </em>spoke a voice from nowhere. An unfamiliar one. <em>“You are quite sharp.”</em></p><p>“Who is this?” asked the girl.</p><p>
  <em>“L.”</em>
</p><p>The girl blinked again. “Honestly, kudos to you, <em>L.</em> This is a surprisingly good plan.”</p><p><em>“Thank you for your approval. By the way, that moment with Light was ridiculously cute. It made me squeal on the inside.” </em>The girl heated up again, and one could see a faint blush on Light’s cheeks. <em>“I shall look forward to looping it tonight, on a sufficiently big enough screen so I can enjoy it in all its glory.”</em></p><p>“H-Hanh?!” The girl started to blabber incoherent nonsense, her body temperature increasing by the minute.</p><p><em>“Relax, (Y/N)-san, that was a joke. I only wanted to see if my intel was right.” </em>I could not tell if he was lying or not, but the girl immediately stopped panicking. “L!” scolded Light. “You can’t tease someone like that!”</p><p>“Y-yeah,” said the girl, her cheeks still slightly warm. “You can’t just do that.” She shrunk in her seat and covered her face. Mikami patted her on the back sympathetically.</p><p><em>“Mikami-san, although you didn’t kill Mr. Yagami, we still have evidence connecting you to the Second Kira, so you will be put under surveillance.” </em>Mikami gave a slight nod in acceptance.</p><p>
  <em>“And Light-kun, as promised, I will make arrangements so that you and I will be together 24/7, working on solving this case. (Y/N)-san, you are welcome to join us, if you wish.”</em>
</p><p>The girl smiled demurely. “I would like to help you.” <em>To find the current Kira, how they kill, and how I can stop them. <strong>Without</strong></em> <em>revealing the existence of Magical Girls. </em>“I want to find Kira.”</p><p>“You got it, Ryuzaki!” shouted Light. “Let’s catch Kira…together!!”</p><p>I almost laughed at the irony.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Here one Minute, Gone the Next</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Since I am doing a Madoka Magica/Death Note story, it's only natural that disturbing topics will start to come up. This chapter has mentions of suicide and depression, so I advise reader discretion. </p><p>Depression is a worldwide problem, unfortunately, and I understand that loads of people are affected by it. If you are suffering from depression, or feel the urge to harm yourself in any way, please reach out to someone you trust and seek help. You shouldn't have to suffer alone. Though it might not seem like it, there is always someone to help you. Remember, you are valued in this world.</p><p>If one of your friends or family seem to be depressed, please try and help them. If you're not sure what to do, you can always speak to someone else you trust to see what you can do to help.</p><p>And to finish off this lengthy note, a quote from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.</p><p>Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you. As long as you remember that, you are not alone.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The girl was waiting in the hotel room with the Task Force, and L’s successors. She was finally going to meet L. <em>Finally. </em>She wondered what they were like. Her mind conjured wild possibilities, some of them quite ridiculous indeed. <em>Maybe they’re a child prodigy, or a…NO! Stop thinking that! </em>One’s imagination can go into some very strange territory indeed if left unattended.</p><p> </p><p>Footsteps. The girl perked to attention, her senses fine-tuned suddenly to the world around her. L. She was going to meet L…</p><p>Hideki Ryuga.</p><p>The girl promptly started choking on her own spit.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)!” Mello immediately leaped to her side, and helpfully hit her on her back. “Are you ok?”</p><p>
  <em>Omigosh Hideki Ryuga is L he’s a popstar though why don’t he hide his face why come here why come to To-Oh why why why why why why </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hideki Ryuga is L.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>L used the fake name in case Light tried to kill him; if Light used the fake name, the real Hideki might have died.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>L came to To-Oh to investigate us.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>L didn’t hide his face, so that if Light killed him, the people left would know that Light is Kira.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, (Y/N)-san,” said L.</p><p>The girl composed herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, L.”</p><p>“You are unusually composed, (Y/N)-san.”</p><p>“I shall take that as a compliment. And if I’m not mistaken, is that Light who is handcuffed to you?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>The girl blinked. <em>I see…</em></p><p> </p><p>“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” asked L suddenly. It worked like a charm. The girl heated up, and her cheeks flushed with warmth.</p><p>“A-a-a-a-a-a-a-b-b-b-b-b-n-n-n-ns-s…” she fainted in Mello arms. Mello and Light glared at L.</p><p>L bit his thumbnail. “It was an experiment,” he said. “A successful one.”</p><p>Light and Mello looked at each other and made a silent agreement to protect the girl from L’s ‘experiments.’</p><p> </p><p>Matt and Near simply looked on.</p><p>“Hm…I never thought Kira would be felled so easily,” said Near, stacking dice. “She is very pretty…I thought she would be used to compliments.”</p><p>“Yeah, I hear you,” responded Matt, lifting up his goggles to look at the unconscious girl. “She seems like an ‘ice queen.’ I guess everyone’s a little bit awkward sometimes.”</p><p>“A little bit?” questioned Near. He sighed. “I shall have to talk to Mello. He’s getting too attached to her.”</p><p>Matt frowned.</p><hr/><p>The girl hacked the Familiar into pieces.</p><p>“It feels great to be at work again, Misa!” she shouted. “Learn anything new while I was away?”</p><p>“Yeah!” Misa grinned. “Check this out!” Misa threw her chainsaw into the sea of Familiars. A tiny light on the chainsaw blinked, faster, and faster, and faster-</p><p>It exploded, instantly killing the Familiars.</p><p>“Cool!” yelled the girl over the chainsaw’s <em>boom. </em></p><p>Misa pulled another chainsaw from under her skirt and tossed it again, to the Witch this time. A boom, an explosion, and they were back in reality. The girl picked up the Grief Seed.</p><p> </p><p>She looked around. And tossed it a few meters from where they were. A tiny, pale hand caught it. A short girl came into view.</p><p>“Here,” the girl called out.</p><p>The short girl tossed it back. The girl caught it. “I don’t need your help,” said the short girl.</p><p>“Alright. Suit yourself,” the girl replied. “Just get out of here by sunset. Nothing personal. It’s for your benefit, actually. The Witches here are getting more powerful, and numerous.”</p><p> </p><p>“The rumours are right, after all. Kira <em>is </em>in your territory, aren’t they?”</p><p> </p><p>“He is,” said the girl. She briefly described Light Yagami and Teru Mikami. “Please do not confront them if you see them. Oh, and try to avoid these people too.” She rattled off some descriptions of the people on the Kira Case. “They’re all working on the Kira Case, and they find out about <em>it,</em> things might, no <em>will,</em> end badly.”</p><p>“Will do.” The short girl nodded grudgingly. “And…one more thing.” She rummaged in her purse, pulling out a photo of the girl and Misa, both of them posing for the camera. “Can…can I please have your autographs?” The short girl lowered her gaze. “My little sister’s a big fan, and I promised to get this picture signed…”</p><p>The girl and Misa smiled. “Of course!” they said in unison. The girl pulled out a pen and signed her name on it. Misa did the same, dotting the <em>i </em>in <em>Misa </em>with a little heart.</p><p>The short girl bowed. “Thank you.” She walked away</p><hr/><p>The short girl kneeled next to a gravestone.</p><p>“I got their autographs. Just like you always wanted. Just like you asked me. They’re Magical Girls, like me. Who’d have thought, huh?”</p><p>The short girl smiled and placed the picture at the foot of the grave, along with a few flowers.</p><p>“See you later.”</p><p> </p><p>She brought out her Soul Gem and lifted it up. She dashed it onto the grave, shattering it into tiny pieces. Her body slumped over.</p><p> </p><p>Madoka and the Shinigami King looked on from above.</p><p>“Humans never fail to confuse me,” stated the King.</p><p>“This is the only way they can escape,” said Madoka softly. “There is no Law of Cycles here. The only salvation the Magical Girls here have is death.</p><p>“Well, that is true, <em>unless</em> our plan…”</p><p>Madoka didn’t respond.</p><hr/><p><em>“We have this great facility, and yet, you don’t seem to be quite into it, Ryuzaki,” </em>said Light. The girl was watching Mikami, Light and L talk in a room. It wasn’t that interesting, to be honest. The successors were doing their own thing in the corner of the room, some business, probably classified, definitely illegal.</p><p><em>“Into it…” </em>L paused. <em>“Not really. I’m actually kind of depressed.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Depressed?” </em>
</p><p>“Depressed?” said Matt and Mello along with L. Near, in contrast, didn’t seem surprised at all, although he did look up from his toys to the screen.</p><p><em>“Yes. For the longest time, I thought you were Kira. I’m a little shocked that I was wrong.” </em>L continued his explanation of how Light could be, no, <em>was</em> Kira.</p><p><em>“But that’s not set in stone, Ryuzaki,” </em>said Light. <em>“There’s lots we don’t understand about Kira. Come on, show some energy.” </em>Light placed his hand on L’s shoulder.</p><p><em>“Energy...?” asked L. “I’m just not feeling it…why even bother…?” </em>L’s successors, all three of them, frowned.</p><p>“What is L saying?” asked Mello. “L wouldn’t say something like that…”</p><p><em>Now you’re paying attention? </em>the girl thought. <em>This is why you should never meet your heroes.</em></p><p><em>“Trying to go after him just puts us in more danger…don’t you agree?” </em>continued L. <em>“I’ve thought that I was going to die so many times already.”</em></p><p><em>“Ryuzaki…” </em>said Light, standing up. He punched L in the face.</p><p> </p><p>They started to fight, Mikami in the background. The girl shifted her gaze to the rest of the Task Force. She could hear Soichiro saying, “Let them be.” Mello was looking on with an amused look on his face. Near ignored the noise, stacking dice, while Matt played on his console.</p><p>“Men,” uttered the girl. She stood up and stalked to the room Light and L were in.</p><p>Matt looked from his console. “You think she’s on her-” He was shut up by a quick glare from Mello</p><hr/><p>She could hear them fighting from the hall. <em>Honestly.</em> An icy-cold expression settled itself on her face.</p><p>She opened the door. The two genii were busy fighting, while Mikami looked on from his seat. He seemed more drained than usual…</p><p>Just as Light was about to punch L, and L was about to kick Light, the girl stood in between them, taking their hits. The tiniest bit of blood dribbled out the corner of her mouth, and she clutched her jaw, where a bruise was beginning to form. L’s kick had gone into her side, and I suspect that the kick would have hurt a normal human quite a bit.</p><p>“Fighting, are we now?” she asked.</p><p>“(Y-Y/N)!” said Light. “You’re bleeding!”</p><p>“Nothing that won’t heal,” she said, turning her gaze to L. “Now, do you have anything to say for yourselves?”</p><p>Silence. The girl sighed.</p><p>“L, Light, please keep it civil. Light, you are a respectable college student, <em>and </em>the student representative of To-Oh, and L, you’re the greatest detective in the world, whose successors are watching him <em>at this moment.</em> At least <em>try </em>to set a good example, both of you.”</p><p>She walked to the door and opened it. “One more thing.” She turned her head towards them. “Fighting does nothing but get innocent people hurt. Please refrain from it.” The ice in her eyes was gone, replaced with something more more tired, more old, more worn.</p><p>The eyes of a Magical Girl.</p><hr/><p>Mello fussed over her.</p><p> </p><p>“What were you thinking?!” he shouted. “You got yourself hurt!” He checked her side to see a bruise. “That L…” He agitatedly stalked around the room. “Where is it, where is it…”</p><p>“Here.” Matt held out the ice pack. Mello took it and gave it to the girl, who put it on her jaw.</p><p>“Mello, I’m fine. Seriously,” said the girl, smiling. “I’m tougher than I look.”</p><p>Matt looked at the girl in admiration. “You are pretty tough. Those were some hard hits you took. Most of the girls, hell, <em>guys </em>I know would be crying and keening over in pain right now. Myself included.”</p><p>Near looked up briefly. “I apologise on the behalf of my mentor. It was childish behaviour on his part that caused your injuries, injuries that could have been avoided. I assure you that such things will not happen in the future.”</p><p>The girl smiled slightly and ruffled Near’s hair. “It’s all right. I’ve been punched harder, honestly.” Near turned his face away, but only I could see that he was blushing a little out of embarrassment.</p><p> </p><p>The door swung open violently. “(Y/N)!” Matsuda shrilled excitedly. “We did it!”</p><p>The girl blinked in confusion. “What did we do?”</p><p>“You <em>and </em>Misa-Misa were number one in the Eighteen Magazine Poll! Your two-month disappearance created a lot of buzz and skyrocketed your popularity! You both will be staring in Director Nishinaka’s next movie!”</p><p>
  <em>Oh…that. </em>
</p><p>The girl thought back to her first, <em>proper </em>meeting with him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’m Matsuda!” ‘Matsui,’ or rather Matsuda, said excitedly. “I’m a big fan of your work! I never thought I’d get to meet you in person! I especially like the shots where you and Misa are together! Misa-Misa’s naïve, adorable, bouncy cuteness and your goddess-like, untouchable, haughty beauty complement and contrast each other perfectly!” </em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Goddess-like? Untouchable? Haughty? </em>
  </strong>
  <em>She wondered if he was trying to compliment or insult her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you.” She smiled. “It’s always nice to meet my fans.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“C-can I have your autograph?” he asked, bringing out a photo of her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The girl signed it. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m so happy that Ryuzaki made me you and Misa-Misa’s manager. I promise to do a good job!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It made sense that he would be excited about this.</p><p>“Wait, how would both of us act the same part <em>together?”</em> asked the girl in confusion.</p><p>Matsuda grinned even more brightly. “Well, when the director heard both of you had taken number one, he got inspired! The character you both will be playing has split-personality disorder, and you and Misa-Misa will play the different parts of her personality!” He proceeded to explain the rest of the plot.</p><p>Apparently, Misa was to play the ‘normal’ part of the movie’s protagonist, Aiko Jekyll, who had a crush on (the real) Hideki Ryuga’s character, Taro Kagami. The girl played Aiko’s evil alter-ego, Aishi Hyde, who was ‘the devil on Aiko’s shoulder,’ so to speak. Also, Aishi was borderline <em>obsessed </em>with Taro…The girl wondered to herself, exactly <em>where </em>along the line had the teenage rom-com turned into a horror film exploring the psychological depths of one’s mind? Then she remembered that Nishinaka apparently really liked Junji Ito’s horror manga. <em>Well, that explains it.</em></p><p>“You and Misa even sing a <em>duet </em>together!” shouted Matsuda in excitement. He started babbling more stuff about the movie, until he fainted from the sheer joy.</p><p>“Um…Matsuda better go home for the day,” stated the girl. The others nodded in agreement.</p><hr/><p>“What? Oh…Ok. I understand. Goodbye.” The girl shut her phone.</p><p>“Misa, you know the girl we met a while back…the short one? Who asked us for autographs?”</p><p>“Yes, I do. What about her?” asked Misa.</p><p>“She’s dead. She was found by another Magical Girl, at her little sister’s grave. Her Soul Gem was shattered to pieces.”</p><p>Misa’s eyes widened. “Oh god…How?”</p><p>“Her body…no signs of a struggle or injury or any sort. It can only be…”</p><p> </p><p>Misa looked at her ring. “She…she finally gave up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>The girls sat in silence.</p><p>“Hello, Misa. (Y/N).”</p><p>“Incubator,” they said in unison.</p><p> </p><p>“I suppose you have heard of Alice Wammy’s death already,” it said.</p><p>“Yes, we have,” answered Misa.</p><p>The Incubator sighed. “I suppose there is no reason to be here, then. I shall take my leave. Goodbye.”</p><p>“Monster,” muttered the girl under her breath.</p><p>The Incubator turned its red eyes towards the girl. “Monster? I’m not cruel. I am just inhuman. I operate on logic and logic alone, unlike you.”</p><p>“Alien,” muttered Misa. “You’re alien.”</p><p>“You are right, Misa. I am alien.” And just like that, the Incubator left.</p><hr/><p>The next day the girl went to headquarters, something seemed off.</p><p>She couldn’t really place it, couldn’t, until-</p><p>It was Watari. He was sad. Usually, he always had a smile on his face, a smile full of affection for the sugar-addicted, sleep-deprived L, the chocoholic, outspoken Mello, the silent, shy Near, the laid-back, game-addicted Matt, but today, he was serious. Sad.</p><p> </p><p>She hadn’t really seen it until it was gone.</p><p> </p><p>She told herself that it wasn’t her business, and asking him would probably be against regulations or etiquette or something-</p><p>“Watari, is there something wrong? You seem sad.”</p><p>The old man forced a smile on his face, a painful one. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”</p><p><em>Worry. </em>“Are you sure?” The girl sat down at the table. “Talking about it might make you feel better. Release some of that pain.” <em>Pain.</em></p><p>Watari briefly considered, confusion flickering in his eyes, before he sat down on the seat across her.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s one of my grandchildren,” he said. “Her name was Alice.”</p><p> </p><p>He sighed. “In the line of duty, it isn’t uncommon to see people die. But I’ve always kept my family away from work, to keep them safe. Alice was so young, barely 14. Her little sister had died recently in hospital, but I didn’t realise just <em>how </em>sad she was. She left a suicide note…Alice said in it that she was a zombie. Nothing but a walking corpse. That she didn’t want to fight the monsters anymore.”</p><p>Tears were running down his cheeks. “The monsters of depression got her, and I didn’t even realise. She was here one minute, gone the next. I could have helped her…my beautiful, beautiful, baby girl…why did she have to go?” He was openly sobbing now.</p><p> </p><p>The girl looked on, hesitantly reaching out her hands. She reached over and hugged him.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s ok. The pain doesn’t really go away. You just…have to learn to ignore it. If you ignore it, then it gets better. I promise.” The girl’s voice was soothing.</p><p>(One day, the girl was walking home from school, like any other day.)</p><p>“I know…but how do you go on?” asked Watari.</p><p>(One day, the girl was walking home from school, like any other day. It was just like any other day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.)</p><p>“You go on because there’s no way you can’t,” the girl responded.</p><p>(One day, the girl was walking home from school, like any other day. It was just like any other day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. Well, except for the fact that she had just got her exam papers back, the papers crinkling in her hand while she ran home in excitement.)</p><p>Watari pulled away from the embrace and brought out a large handkerchief. He mopped at his eyes. “Thank you for listening.”</p><p>(One day, the girl was walking home from school, like any other day. It was just like any other day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. Well, except for the fact that she had just got her exam papers back, the papers crinkling in her hand while she ran home in excitement. She couldn’t wait to show her mother!)</p><p>“Anytime.” The girl smiled.</p><p>(One day, the girl was walking home from school, like any other day. It was just like any other day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. Well, except for the fact that she had just got her exam papers back, the papers crinkling in her hand while she ran home in excitement. 100% in everything. She couldn’t wait to show her mother!</p><p>
  <em>“Mom, look! I got full marks in the nationwide exams! I even beat that Yagami kid!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Mom?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Ma?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…”</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Mommy?”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Papers floating gently to the ground.</p><p>Rain pouring down. Black umbrellas. Black clothes. Black everything.</p><p>Speeches. Graves.</p><p>Incubator. Soul Gem.</p><p>Here one minute, gone the next.)</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. As Reality Warps</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reality is a strange thing, isn’t it? It-</p><p>…</p><p>…</p><p>Oh, hello there. I’m afraid our dear Narrator is out for the count. Such a shame, honestly. She’s quite the intellectual, and entertaining too…but I’m afraid that she won’t be able to comprehend exactly what we’re dealing with here…</p><p>I’m sorry?</p><p>You want to know who I am?</p><p>Oh, how rude of me! First, I barge in uninvited and break the Fourth Wall, then I forget to introduce myself.</p><p>You may call me Firefly.</p><p>Yes, it is an alias. You should know by now that we don’t just <em>throw around </em>our real names. <em>Especially </em>in this world.</p><p>Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s get to the point. Harems would interfere with the story, what with all the conflict of attention and all, so there are five character-routes for each character, Light, L, Near, Mello, and Matt respectively.</p><p>They will each have their own chapter dedicated to developing their relationship with The Girl, or (Y/N) (L/N), as you know her. Of course, these are isolated events…or are they not? I can never remember. </p><p>Now that I’m done talking…let us begin, shall we?</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Light: Apology</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Light Yagami felt guilty.</p><p>Never in his life had he hurt a girl before. Never! And now he had punched the emotionally-fragile (Y/N) (L/N) in the face! (Y/N) (L/N)!</p><p>If his mother had saw him, she would be ashamed. He could practically hear her saying, ‘I didn’t raise you to hit girls!’ If Sayu had seen, she would probably be saying ‘Light, I never knew you hit girls!’ His dad <em>had </em>seen and was pretty ashamed. Mello had seen and was now giving him dark scowls and making passive-aggressive jabs at Light and L. Why was Mello so protective of her anyways?</p><p>So that’s why he was going to her house, with a gigantic box of chocolates. Did she even like chocolates?</p><p> </p><p>He rang the doorbell. Almost immediately, the door opened.</p><p>“Light? What are you doing here?”</p><p>Light bowed down while holding out the chocolates. “I sincerely apologise for punching you! Please forgive me!”</p><p>(Y/N) blinked. “Um…Ok.” She took the chocolates. “It’s not a big deal really,” she told him. “It wasn’t like you punched me on purpose. And it didn’t even hurt that much.”</p><p>“Still, I shouldn’t have got you involved,” said Light, averting his gaze. “Like you said, fighting does nothing but get innocents hurt. Innocents like you.”</p><p>“At least you <em>are </em>apologising. L’s just acting like the fight never happened.” (Y/N) shrugged. “Ah well. What’s done is done.”</p><p>She opened the box of chocolates…</p><p>It was empty. A burp from me. “Oops,” I said. “I ate it. Guilty.” They couldn’t hear <em>or </em>see me, of course, but no matter. I regret nothing.</p><p>“Where are they?” asked (Y/N).</p><p>“I-I don’t know…” Light looked even more flustered than before. “Oh my god…” He put his hand on his face. “I can’t believe I bought an empty box…”</p><p>“It’s ok. Like I said, I forgive you. Chocolates or no chocolates.” (Y/N) smiled. “Don’t be so harsh on yourself.”</p><hr/><p>The next day, he went to (Y/N)’s house again.</p><p>“Light? What are you doing here?” she asked.</p><p>“I’m bringing you out on a date,” said Light, smirking.</p><p>(Y/N) started to short circuit. “D-d-d-d-d-ate?” she said, heat flushing into her face.</p><p>“Not right now!” said Light. “You still have time to get ready. I’ll meet you at this place at 3 o’clock.” He listed off an address.</p><p>(Y/N) took a deep breath, trying to work up some nerve. “Alright. I’ll be there.”</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) shut the door and scrambled to her wardrobe upstairs.</p><p>“No!” She threw out a top. “Too pastel!”</p><p>“No!” She threw out a dress. “Too dressy!”</p><p>“No! No! NO!” She groaned. “Everything I have is terrible! Utterly terrible! It’s 2 o’clock already, I only have one hour!” (Y/N) started pacing around the room. <em>Now…what to do…Misa!</em></p><p>She quickly called Misa. “Misa! Light asked me out on a date!”</p><p><em>“EEEEEEEEEHHHH!” </em>squealed Miss from the other end. <em>“You did it! We should celebrate! Your first, actual date!”</em></p><p>“NO! I have nothing to wear. NOTHING!” She gestured to her wardrobe filled with rejected clothes. “NOTHING AT ALL!”</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t worry, Misa-Misa will be right there!”</em>
</p><p>The doorbell rang.</p><p>“(Y/N)! It’s me!” shouted Misa. I wondered how she got there so fast.</p><p>“Misa!” (Y/N) flung the door open. “Help me! Please!” she wailed.</p><p>Misa held up a few shopping bags full of outfits, shoes… “Misa-Misa is prepared for anything! I knew someone would ask you out sooner or later, so I got these! Now, let’s get ready!”</p><p>I wondered if they were getting ready for a date or preparing for war.</p><p>…</p><p>STAGE 1: OUTFIT</p><p>…</p><p>“We should choose something in your favourite colour,” said Misa. “Something which you can wear in the cold but is still cute!”</p><p>“I’m not going for cute, really, I’m going for… je ne sais quoi.”</p><p>“I see,” said Misa seriously. Misa pulled out various outfits. “These are the ones which I think would go best. Which one do you want?”</p><p>(Y/N) chose the outfit which appealed most to her. “I think I’ll wear it with these shoes, and with this jacket,” she said. “It’s sure to impress Light and isn’t too flashy.”</p><p>“Alright!” said Misa, who punched her fist in the air.</p><p>…</p><p>STAGE 2: HAIR &amp; MAKEUP</p><p>…</p><p>After changing into her outfit, (Y/N) sat down in front of her vanity.</p><p>Misa brought out her Soul Gem. “Brushes simply wont do!” she said, shaking her head. “We’ll have to use magic instead!”</p><p>A flash of red light, and instantly, (Y/N)’s hair rearranged itself into a beautiful hairstyle, and makeup floated out of Misa’s bag and applied themselves to (Y/N)’s face.</p><p>“You look gorgeous!” cheered Misa. “I knew it!”</p><p>…</p><p>STAGE 3: PRACTICING</p><p>…</p><p>“You can’t blush and stammer whenever Light compliments you!” said Misa. “You have to smile, then compliment him back! You also can’t act nervous!”</p><p>“How do you know I’ll do those things?” asked (Y/N).</p><p>Misa sighed. “Remember when that random boy on the street complimented you? I swear, it was like you were on fire!”</p><p>“No, it wasn’t!”</p><p>Misa gave her a look.</p><p>“Alright…” admitted (Y/N). “I’m a little shy.”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“Ok, a lot shy! Happy?”</p><p>“Yes!” said Misa. “Now, imagine that Misa-Misa is Light! I’ll compliment you, then you’ll compliment me back!” Misa used a weird, deep voice to act as Light. “Hey, (Y/N), you look cute!”</p><p>(Y/N) fainted.</p><p>Misa sighed and placed her hands on her hips. “Looks like Misa-Misa has her work cut out for her…”</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) walked to the coffee shop, trying to ignore the sound of her violently beating heart.</p><p>She was confident. She was amazing. She was <em>ready.</em></p><p>She walked right into a tree. “Ow!”</p><p>“(Y/N)! You’re here!” Light helped his date up, appearing out of seemingly nowhere. “I hope you’re not hurt.”</p><p>“Um, no! I’m fine!”</p><p>“You look great!” said Light.</p><p>(Y/N) took a deep breath. <em>Don’t screw this up, don’t screw this up…</em> “You look really handsome!” she responded. <em>Now, smile! </em>She gave him a smile.</p><p>Light smirked. “Wow. I complimented you and you’re not even stammering.”</p><p>“Yeah, I had to practice a hundred times to get that right…” she realised what she said and covered her mouth. <em>I screwed up. </em></p><p>They walked inside the coffee shop together, sitting down at an out-of-the-way table. A waiter took their order.</p><p>“So, you’ve never been on a date before?” asked Light. (Y/N) didn’t respond. She was too busy looking around the café. “(Y/N)?”</p><p>“Oh, sorry.” Her tone was much more settled and calmer now. Sadder. “Yes.” She smiled nostalgically. “I’ve always been nervous around boys. Even though I’m a model…” The waiter came with their drinks. The girl stared at her cup of coffee. “I just…can’t keep my calm if someone’s flirting with me.” She stirred some sugar into her coffee. She seemed to have zoned out completely, and her eyes were shining with tears unshed. I doubted that she was crying over her shyness. Light doubted it too.</p><p>Light wondered if it was a bad idea taking her here. This place seemed to be making her sad…</p><p>“Would you like to go to Spaceland?” he asked.</p><p>(Y/N) nodded.</p><hr/><p>“LIGHT!” screamed (Y/N). “WHY DID YOU SAY THIS WOULD BE FUN?”</p><p>“IT IS FUN!” shouted Light, laughing.</p><p>“NO, IT’S NOOOOOOOOOT!”</p><p>(Y/N) climbed out the roller-coaster. “Oh. My. God.” She started to sway gently. “I think I’m going to fall…”</p><p>Light held her by the waist, stabilizing her. “It’s all right,” he murmured in her ear. “I won’t ever let you go.”</p><p>I snapped a photo. “So cute!” I gushed.</p><hr/><p>“That teddy bear!” said (Y/N) in excitement. “It looks so cute!”</p><p>“Your wish is my command,” said Light, chuckling. He dropped a coin into the slot, and expertly manoeuvred the claw to close its teeth around the bear. It lifted it up, and the bear tumbled out of the machine. Light picked it up and offered it to (Y/N).</p><p>“Will you accept my offering?” he asked playfully.</p><p>(Y/N) smiled and took it. “Of course.”</p><p>I snapped another picture. “Yay!”</p><hr/><p>They were in the park for the remainder of their date. Walking amongst the trees. The park was painted with the colours of autumn, red, orange, brown, gold.</p><p>“Say, Light?” asked (Y/N), looking at the trees. “Why <em>did </em>you ask me out?”</p><p>Light blushed slightly; out of character for him. “Because…because I wanted to,” he said.</p><p>“But <em>why?”</em></p><p>“You…you were my only friend when Ryuzaki held me captive. You kept me company, told me jokes, sang for me, even. And what did I do?” Light laughed bitterly. “I did nothing in return. I accused you of being Kira. I let my father scare you into thinking you were going to die. Then I punched you in the face.”</p><p>“So…you asked me out because you felt indebted to me?” asked (Y/N).</p><p>“Partially. But also…” Light’s blush darkened. “Because I like you.”</p><p>(Y/N) looked down. Then stole a glance at him. “Hey, you’re blushing!” She grinned. “I finally made you blush!”</p><p>“I am not blushing!” said Light, blushing harder.</p><p>“Yeah, you are! You’re like a tomato!”</p><p>“No, I am not!” Light glared at her, then pecked her cheek. “Hah! I got you back!” He grinned childishly.</p><p>“Why, you-!” Light ran off, (Y/N) chasing him. “When I catch you, you’ll wish that you never met me!”</p><p>“Nothing can ever make me wish that!” he called back</p><hr/><p>L watched from some bushes nearby, snapping photos of the two.</p><p>“I’m really glad that I granted Light-kun some temporary freedom,” he said to himself. “I ship it.”</p><p>“So do I,” I responded, also snapping photos.</p><p> </p><p>L smiled slightly, then started writing an e-mail addressed to the entire Task Force.</p><p>The subject? <em>Check out these photos…</em></p><p> </p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. L: Challenge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Did you invent the airplane? Because you seem Wright for me.”</p><p>“I was wondering if you had an extra heart. Because mine was just stolen.”</p><p>“Can I follow you where you're going right now? Cause my parents always told me to follow my dreams.”</p><p>L recited the pick-up lines in a monotonous, emotionless voice. He had memorized them from off the internet, and their cheesiness were sure to incite a reaction from (Y/N).</p><p>Except they didn’t. (Y/N) continued to search through the information on the Kira case, looking for a lead in the piles and piles of data on the computer.</p><p>L frowned. (Y/N) had been ignoring him in this way for the past one hour, one hour of L using pick-up lines on her, one hour of failing. One hour of <em>losing.</em></p><p>L was losing. L did not lose.</p><p> </p><p>Honestly, it’s funny how he’s interpreting this as a challenge. Almost like a child, picking a fight. It’s so cute. He doesn’t know how to handle his feelings.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you French? Because Eiffel for you.” He persisted. And failed. She continued researching.</p><p>“L.” Light gestured to his ears. “She can’t hear you.”</p><p>L frowned. <em>Why would this be the case? She could hear perfectly just the day before-</em></p><p>It hit him.</p><p>Nestled inside her ear, was an earphone.</p><p> </p><p>“It was all for nothing,” mumbled L. “(Y/N)-san. (Y/N)-SAN!” he shouted. Nothing.</p><p>Light leaned across L and waved a hand in front of (Y/N).</p><p>She took out one earphone. “What is it?”</p><p>“(Y/N)-san,” said L. “You were cheating.”</p><p>(Y/N) blinked. “What are you talking about, L?”</p><p>“From now on, earphones are banned inside headquarters.”</p><p>“What?!” shouted Matsuda. “How am I supposed to listen to my music?!”</p><p>L gave him a look. Matsuda looked away. “Sorry…” muttered Matsuda.</p><p> </p><p>L held out his hand. “(Y/N)-san. Earphones.”</p><p>(Y/N) handed them over. A little smile quirked on L’s lips.</p><hr/><p>Music blared in headquarters.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)!” shouted Mello. “WHY DID YOU BRING LOUDSPEAKERS HERE?!”</p><p>“SORRY, I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” she shouted back.</p><p>“I MUST BE A SNOWFLAKE, BECAUSE I’VE FALLEN FOR YOU!” shouted L.</p><p>“STILL CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING!” she yelled again.</p><p> </p><p>L got out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. He stuck it out in front of (Y/N). It said:</p><p>
  <em>Speakers are also banned.</em>
</p><p>“WHAT?!” screamed Matsuda. Everyone ignored him.</p><hr/><p>Silence. Blissful, blissful, silence. Finally, L could try out his lines.</p><p>“I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?” he asked. Nothing.</p><p> </p><p>L looked inside her ears and found earplugs.</p><p>He took them out.</p><p>(Y/N) looked at him. “Why do you keep trying to shut me out?” he asked.</p><p>She sighed. “Because you keep on trying to embarrass me, which I don’t like. I can’t work if I’m constantly blushing and stuttering, you know. She turned away and started to work.</p><p> </p><p>Light looked at L, as L childishly pouted in disappointment. <em>I wonder why he keeps on annoying her…you would think he would stop by now…I wonder why…</em></p><p>A thought struck him like a thunderbolt.</p><p>
  <em>Wait…could it be…?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Light let out a strangled sound, causing L to look at him.</p><p>“Light-kun? Are you alright?” asked L. Light stood up and walked away to another room, dragging L along with him. “Light-kun? Light-kun?”</p><p> </p><p>Light went into the room and slammed the door shut.</p><p>“Ryuzaki, do you have a crush on (Y/N)?”</p><p>L blinked and put his thumb on his lips. “A crush…?”</p><p>He sat on the couch in that awkward way of his. “A crush…yes…I suppose so…”</p><p>Light grabbed L’s shoulders in shock. “A-are you sure, Ryuzaki?”</p><p>“Well…I feel very nervous around her, and I sometimes start to sweat…I always seem to want to sit near her, and sometimes when she works, I just can’t help but stare…I also keep on thinking about her even when she isn’t around…is that a crush, Light-kun?”</p><p>Light nodded.</p><p>“But for some reason, (Y/N) doesn’t seem to like me that much…”</p><p>Light stood there wordlessly. An idea began to form in his mind...</p><hr/><p>The next day, Light had this determined look on his face when he saw L walk towards (Y/N)</p><p>“No work for today, Ryuzaki,” he said, dragging him away from (Y/N) with his handcuffs. “We have more important matters to attend to.”</p><p>“Light-kun-”</p><p>Light went into the room and slammed the door shut.</p><p>“Ryuzaki! You’re trying to impress (Y/N), right?”</p><p>L nodded.</p><p>“Well, <em>whatever </em>you’re trying to do right now isn’t working! Not at all! It’s actually painful to watch you two!” Light groaned and ran his hand through his hair. “Listen. You, Ryuzaki, are going to ask her out on a date. And since you are obviously not very social…here is the plan.”</p><hr/><p>A zoo. They were at a zoo.</p><p>L had a little earpiece nestled in his ear, connected to Light’s walkie-talkie. Light had tutored him for a while on the appropriate thing to do when on a date, but…that had proved insufficient. Hence the earpiece.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Ryuzaki!” said (Y/N), walking up to him. <em>Oh…she looks…amazing.</em></p><p><em>“Compliment her,” </em>said Light’s voice. <em>“Just say, ‘You look great!’ Nothing else. I repeat, NOTHING ELSE.”</em></p><p>“You look great,” said L monotonously. Light facepalmed from the bushes.</p><p>“So do you,” (Y/N) said nervously. There was a little bit of truth in that statement. He had switched his white t-shirt for a black one, and…no. That was it.</p><p>
  <em>“Ask her where she wants to go, Ryuzaki!”</em>
</p><p>“Where do you want to go?”</p><p>(Y/N) smiled. There was something off about that smile. “L-let’s go see the fish.”</p><hr/><p>They went to see the fish. Shoals of them, swimming around in their tanks. L vaguely remembered a memory from a long time ago when he was young. Watari had taken him to the aquarium….</p><p>“Thank you,” he said.</p><p>“For what?” asked (Y/N).</p><p>“Listening to Watari’s problems. He’s never really opened up to anyone before.” L had no idea why he was saying this, but it felt right, so he rolled on. “He and I are close, that is true, but he tries not to worry me and hides his problems. Whenever I ask him about <em>him, </em>he always avoids the question. I knew about Alice…but I didn’t know he was feeling like that.” L frowned.</p><p>“You’re welcome.” (Y/N) stared at the tank. “It’s not always easy to spot when someone’s feeling sad…” she trailed off.</p><p><em>“Ryuzaki, change the subject! Now!” </em>shouted Light.</p><p>“Um…” L thought. “What would you like to see next?”</p><p>“The lions.”</p><hr/><p>The lions stared at them languidly, as if they were judging him. <em>Cats, </em>L thought. <em>They’re all the same. </em>L didn’t like cats. One time, back when he lived at Wammy’s, he had tried to feed a stray cat which sometimes dropped by the orphanage. Upon which the cat had given him a judgmental look which blatantly said, <em>What the hell, kid? </em>and promptly stalked away.</p><p>(Y/N) kept on twisting her ring, round and round, round and round…L had noticed that she only did that when she was nervous or agitated.</p><p> </p><p>That ring. Like her, it was pretty. One of the first things he had noticed about her, actually. The first time he saw her, saw her and <em>noticed</em> her, it was because that ring of hers had reflected sunlight right into his eye, making him blink. He had turned around, and there he saw her. Standing with Mello, watching him as he battled Light for supremacy on the tennis court on that fateful day. He had wondered if it was some sort of worldwide trend, since a lot of the girls at Wammy’s had rings of the same sort; a ring, inlaid with a bright gem and a design on their nail.</p><p>L’s gaze shifted to her face.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) had never told him what exactly had happened when Mello went off the grid…something to do with Kira? Or maybe-</p><p> </p><p><em>“Ryuzaki! Stop staring at her!” </em>barked Light. <em>“It’s creepy!”</em></p><p>“I can’t help it,” said L aloud. “She’s pretty.” He realised what he said.</p><p>Another thing about L. His face would always stay snow-white, no matter how long he stayed in the sun. But instead or blushing…his ears would shine a faint pink or flush into a furious red, depending on the level of embarrassment.</p><p>L’s ears were a furious red.</p><p> </p><p>Light facepalmed. “Why god, why me?” he moaned</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) blinked. “Ryuzaki, your ears…”</p><p>L’s ears turned an even deeper shade of red. “Childhood affliction,” L mumbled.</p><p>(Y/N) smiled, her first <em>genuine</em> smile, and giggled, despite her inner conflict. “Well, I think it’s cute.”</p><p>L’s ears turned redder.</p><hr/><p>The last stop was the monkeys. At this point, (Y/N) looked the tensest she had ever been, so Light was now doing damage control.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Make a joke!” </em>screeched Light. <em>“Any joke!” </em>Light Yagami? Screeching? The situation must have been dire…</p><p>What slipped out of L’s mouth wasn’t a joke, though. It was a question.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you alright?”</p><p>And in that moment, (Y/N) (L/N) fell apart.</p><p> </p><p>She collapsed to the ground as tears started rolling from her eyes, down her cheeks, and she started letting out sobs, wails, which were so heavily laced with despair that L’s heart shattered into tiny little pieces.</p><p>L decided. He took out the tiny earpiece, dropped it to the floor, and crushed it under the heel of his unlaced trainer.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” he asked again because he <em>needed </em>to know what was tormenting her, so that he could fix the problem, so she could smile again.</p><p> </p><p>“M-my mother…” She gasped for breath, like she was drowning. Then stared sobbing again. L dropped down to his knees and hugged her. “Your mother?” he whispered softly in her ear. She buried her head in his shoulder and cried even more.</p><p>“My mother…sh-she took me here, when I was little…before she…before she…before I…”</p><p>She continued to cry. They were getting looks from passer byes, but L had bigger priorities here, and since when had he cared about what people thought about him?</p><p>“Why did she leave me all alone?” she wailed into his shoulder. “Why?”</p><p>L softly stroked her hair. “Shh. It’s…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.</p><p>“She left me…why does it have to be this way? Why does everybody have to leave me? Why? No matter what I do...everybody…everybody leaves me…I’m all alone…”</p><p> </p><p>Misa was lucky. She never saw a Magical Girl die, never saw a Soul Gem turn into a Grief Seed, never had seen someone fall slowly into despair. Never had seen her friends fall one by one. Never drowned so deeply into the seas of sadness that she thought she might never be able to see the light ever again.</p><p>(Y/N) had. And that was why, she, (Y/N) (L/N), would always be alone. (Y/N) would always fight alone, (Y/N) would always live alone, (Y/N) would die alone…</p><p>
  <em>Alone. (Y/N) is alone. I am alone…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>All alone.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I promise that I won’t leave you alone,” said L, and even though he wasn’t sure where the words were coming from, he knew it was the truth. “I’ll always be with you. I promise.”</p><p>And just like that, her cries softened into silence. “Really?” she asked.</p><p>“Yes. You have my word as L.” <em>Lawliet,</em> he added silently. <em>You have my word as L Lawliet.</em></p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) lifted her head up and looked at him. Her makeup had smudged, her mascara smudged around her eyes in a dark circle. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and there was even some snot dribbling out of her nose. A far cry from the picture-perfect model, the cool-headed genius.</p><p>L thought she looked beautiful anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“You look like a panda,” he said. He was sure Light would be cursing his name for saying something so <em>rude, </em>but he could curse all he liked. L didn’t care one bit.</p><p>The girl smiled, a trembling smile, but a smile, nonetheless. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I look like you now.”</p><p>L’s ears turned red.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Mello: Protection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aishi Hyde was whispering in Aiko’s ear.</p><p>“Are you really going to let her get away with touching <em>our </em>Taro?”</p><p>Aiko clutched her ears. “NO! G-get out of my head!” Aiko’s bright, blue eyes were brimming with tears.</p><p>Aishi laughed cruelly. “Alright then. If that’s what you want. But if I do…” Aishi stroked Aiko’s cheek gently. “Taro and Keiko will have a beautiful wedding in a few years. I can picture it already…Taro in a suit, making him look ever so handsome, and with the <em>happiest </em>smile on his face…why shouldn’t he be happy, he’s getting married to the love of his life! And Keiko…Keiko will steal the show, in her white gown, which looks like it’s made of moonlight. It compliments her black hair and brown eyes perfectly…of course, Taro can’t see Keiko’s face, she’s wearing a veil, after all. But when they make their vows, and he lifts her veil, his heart will stop from Keiko’s sheer beauty…they’ll lean in to kiss…and the best part? Keiko will have invited you to be her maid-of-honour. You’ll be watching, as she steals Taro. Do you want that, Aiko? DO YOU?”</p><p>“No, no, NO!” cried Aiko. “I don’t! I don’t!”</p><p>“Then…let me kill him,” cooed Aishi.</p><p> </p><p>“And…cut!” the director shouted. “Great work, Misa and (Y/N)! That’s it for today, see you all tomorrow!”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) smiled at Misa. “You pulled off the crying pretty well,” she complimented.</p><p>Misa smiled. “You pull off ‘evil alter ego’ pretty well too,” she said.</p><p>(Y/N) laughed. Mello’s heart did little backflips at the sound. “Thanks. Oh, and don’t you have a <em>date, </em>Misa?”</p><p>Misa blushed.</p><p>“Ah, but if Mikami breaks your heart, then I’m breaking his bones,” (Y/N) joked.</p><p>Misa hit (Y/N)’s arm, blushing harder. “Since when were you such a tease, huh?” Misa grinned. “Is it because of-”</p><p>“Hush! We shall not speak of him!” (Y/N) shouted in panic.</p><p>
  <em>Him? Who’s him?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Speaking of boys, I’ve noticed that Hideki’s been looking at you, like, <em>a lot,</em> (Y/N).” Misa nudged her suggestively. “But of course, your heart belongs to He Who Must Not Be Spoken Of.”</p><p>“M-my heart <em>doesn’t </em>belong to him! Lay off!”</p><p>“Whatever you say, (Y/N), whatever you say.” Misa skipped away. “Bye!”</p><p>“Bye!” (Y/N) called back, waving.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) spun around and walked to the bushes, which were a little ways off. She glared at said bushes.</p><p>“Mello, I know you’re hiding in there. Come out.”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“Ah well.” (Y/N) got out a chocolate bar. “I guess I have to eat this all by myself…”</p><p> </p><p>Quick as lighting, Mello leaped out of the bushes and snatched the bar. He unwrapped the chocolate and happily started nomming on it until he realised that he had been exposed.</p><p>“Um…this isn’t what it looks like!” Is what he tried to say, but since he was eating and talking, it came out like this: “Mm…dis sisnt wfft fit foo fiks!”</p><p>“Mello, don’t eat and talk,” said (Y/N), sighing.</p><p>Mello quickly finished his chocolate. “This isn’t what it looks like!” he shouted.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) got out a notebook. “November 1<sup>st</sup>, followed me to a café at 3:00pm, then payed for 300 yen for my coffee at about 3:15 pm, <em>without </em>my knowledge. November 2<sup>nd</sup>, followed me to the movie shoot and dropped off a bento secretly at precisely 12:00 am, since I had forgotten mine…do you want me to keep reading, Mello?” Mello violently shook his head. (Y/N) sighed again. “Mello…I hate to be the one to say this, but…this is not normal. At all.”</p><p>“I’m sorry…” Mello looked to the ground and glared at nothing in particular. “I was…just trying to keep you safe.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) sighed again and grabbed him by the hand. “Come on.”</p><p>“Where are you taking me?” he asked.</p><p>“Wherever you want.”</p><p>“Huh?” Mello was confused.</p><p>“You spent exactly 11,984.95 yen on me. That’s about the cost of one date. And I need to repay you.”</p><p>“And <em>I’m </em>the creepy one?”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) pouted and looked away. “I-it wasn’t like I actually cared that you spent money on me, ok?! I just hate being in debt!”</p><p>Mello smirked. “Tsundere.”</p><p>“I’m not a tsundere! You’re the tsundere!”</p><p>…</p><p>THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG ON A DATE</p><p>…</p><p>#1</p><p>YOU HAVE NO MONEY</p><p>…</p><p>(Y/N) looked at her empty, barren wallet.</p><p>“I could have sworn that it was full five minutes ago…”</p><p>I whistled innocently in the corner while counting out my <em>legitimately earned </em>money.</p><p>Mello smiled. “Good thing I got <em>my</em> wallet.”</p><p>(Y/N) wept silent tears of misery.</p><p>…</p><p>#2</p><p>YOU REALISE THAT YOU ARE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY LOST</p><p>…</p><p>“Um…we were supposed to go left…or was it right…”</p><p>“(Y/N)…you’re holding the map upside down.”</p><p>“W-wah! Sorry!” (Y/N) quickly turned it the right-side up. “I don’t usually hang around this part of town…” <em>Because it’s another Magical Girl’s territory, </em>she added silently in her head, <em>but Mello doesn’t need to know that.</em></p><p>“I don’t know why. This place is great!” Mello smiled fondly at the memories passing through his head. “I came here before when I was fifteen.” <em>On business for the Mafia, </em>Mello thought, <em>but (Y/N) doesn’t need to know that.</em></p><p>“R-really?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Waaaah!” screamed (Y/N) suddenly. “This is a map of London, not Kanto!” <em>Why is my brain so…aagh!</em></p><p>…</p><p>#3</p><p>YOU HAVE NO WAY OF TRANSPORTATION, SO THE PERSON YOU’RE TAKING OUT HAS TO PROVIDE ONE INSTEAD</p><p>…</p><p>When they had found the <em>right </em>map, they realised they couldn’t <em>possibly </em>go there by foot.</p><p> </p><p>“I…don’t have a driving licence,” (Y/N) admitted.</p><p>“Good thing I brought my motorbike then,” said Mello, chuckling at (Y/N)’s miserable expression. “Why are you so down?”</p><p>“This is just going to put me <em>even more </em>in your debt, Mello,” she said, crossing her hands.</p><p>“Well, I don’t really mind if it means we get to go on more dates,” Mello flirted.</p><p>“Shut up, or I’ll punch you!”</p><p>Mello smirked. <em>As if, </em>he thought.</p><p>…</p><p>#4</p><p>YOU GET SO EMBARRASED DURING THE RIDE, THAT IT’S ACTUALLY FUNNY WHEN IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE ROMANTIC</p><p>…</p><p><em>Kyaaaa! </em>thought (Y/N). While she had no idea why she was acting like a dumb shojo manga protagonist, she suspected it was because of her sheer incompetence around boys. <em>Think, (Y/N), think! You’re supposed to be a genius, act like one! </em></p><p>Alas, hormones. They conquer even the most accomplished of minds.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) was surprised she hadn’t gone up in flames from the lack of distance. She had her arms wrapped around his waist, and all she could think was, <em>Oh my god, oh my god.</em></p><p>She fell flat on her face when attempting to get off the bike. <em>Oh my god. Why me?</em></p><p>Mello helped her up. “Oh, so you’re shy around boys?” he teased, blue eyes glinting with mischief. <em>So cute, </em>Mello thought. <em>She acts so strong…but when you put her around boys she completely forgets how to function properly. It’s endearing and funny at the same time.</em></p><p>Mello’s heart backflipped again.</p><p>
  <em>…</em>
</p><p>#5</p><p>YOU REALISE THE PLACE YOUR DATE BROUGHT YOU TO IS STRANGLEY FAMILIAR</p><p>…</p><p>An out of the way field is where Mello brought her. By now the sun was setting and (Y/N) knew the dark would come soon.</p><p>“Have I…been here before?” she wondered aloud.</p><p>“I thought you didn’t hang around here.”</p><p><em>“Much. </em>I don’t hang around here <em>much.”</em></p><p>…</p><p>#6</p><p>YOU REALISE <em>HOW </em>YOU KNOW THIS PLACE</p><p>…</p><p>The black sky was studded with twinkling stars, and the moon shone brightly in the sky when she began crying and collapsed to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>How did she know this place?</p><p>It was the last place where she saw her friend. The last time she fought alongside her.</p><p>The first time she had to kill someone.</p><p> </p><p>All of a sudden, she remembered exactly <em>why </em>she tried to shut people out. Why she never let anyone close. Why even <em>Misa, </em>her best friend, could never see the monsters that haunted her.</p><p>Because she was broken.</p><p>Memories started to flash through her mind, as her body started to shake harder and harder. She clamped her hands over her ears, but it was no use. The wails of her friends as they all fell pierced through her hands, straight into her ears.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“It…it was all for nothing.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No! Someone…anyone…save her!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’LL END IT ALL NOW!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Kill me before I turn into a Witch, won’t you, (Y/N)?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m…I’m so sorry!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m…I’m so sorry. I wasn’t strong enough. You’re all gone now. I’m trying to be strong, but whatever I do…whatever I do, I always end up like this. I’m weak. I can’t protect anyone. All I can do…is break.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Warm, strong arms wrapped around her shaking body.</p><p>“What is it?” Mello murmured. “Tell me.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry…” she wept. “I couldn’t help you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…” It was like no other words could come out of her mouth.</p><p>“It’s all right. Nothing’s going to happen to you. I won’t <em>let </em>anything happen to you. I swear.” <em>What happened to me won’t happen to you. </em>A determined light appeared in Mello’s eyes. “You’re gonna live a normal, happy, life, and I’ll make sure that happens. <em>No matter what it takes.”</em></p><p> </p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Near: Friendship</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Near was all alone. Just the way he liked it.</p><p>He had become used to it, over the years. Being lonely. It wasn’t as if he liked being alone all the time. No, he didn’t like it at all. But what was even more painful? Knowing that the person who was attempting to reach out to him had no way of understanding.</p><p> </p><p>Near patiently built his tower of cards.</p><p> </p><p>That’s why it was better to fade into the background, work where no-one could see you.</p><p>Of course, sometimes Near couldn’t understand either. Like why L was so hell-bent on catching Kira…Or why Mello seemed to care so much about (Y/N) …</p><p> </p><p>Maybe he did understand.</p><p>Maybe he was afraid to admit that.</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) watched on as the Task Force, L, Light, Mello and Matt argued.</p><p> </p><p>She felt frustrated, to be honest.</p><p>Whenever she would speak up, her voice would be lost in the shouts of the others, never to be heard. Could they listen? Did they want to listen?</p><p>They had seen her when she was a suspect in the Kira case. But now she was innocent, it was like she didn’t matter anymore. They were too fixated on things that were <em>not </em>her. She didn’t care much about being the subject of everyone’s attention, but what she <em>did </em>care about was…not being heard.</p><p>Not being acknowledged.</p><p>Like now.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m just going to go,” she said. They didn’t hear her.</p><p>She stood up and walked away, to the one person who would be willing to <em>listen.</em></p><hr/><p>Near went on building his structure, until a gust of wind blew all the cards away.</p><p> </p><p>“Near.” <em>Kira.</em></p><p>“Kira,” he responded.</p><p> </p><p>For some reason, lighting maybe, it was like (Y/N)’s eyes were piercing right through Near. She gave him a little side smile, which…</p><p>Reminded him eerily of himself. The way he would crookedly smile whenever he would find a new lead in a case or made a jab at someone he didn’t like.</p><p> </p><p>“It looks like you need a little bit of help, Near,” she said, and dropped down to her knees. She started to pick up the scattered cards.</p><p>“Thank you for your help,” he responded, twirling a strand of hair.</p><p>“It was beautiful while it lasted,” she said.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say it was beautiful,” said Near. “Definitely not my best work.”</p><p>“Hm, I understand.”</p><p> </p><p>She continued picking up cards.</p><p>“Say, Near-” she looked up at him “-why do you always keep calling me Kira?”</p><p>“Because that’s what you are.”</p><p>“Really?” She gave him another, secretive half-smile. “Near isn’t your real name.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“But it carries meaning for you, right?”</p><p>“Yes, it does. It is my identity as L’s successor.”</p><p>“If I were to call you by someone else’s name, for example, Mello, it wouldn’t <em>truly </em>be your name. It would be <em>Mello’s </em>name, not yours, and therefore it carries no meaning for you.”</p><p>“Where are you going with this?”</p><p>“It’s the same with me. The name Kira carries no meaning to me because I am not Kira. And even if I <em>am </em>Kira, it is a name someone else gave to me, not a name I gave to myself. The name (Y/N) means more to me. It’s the name my mother gave to me.” (Y/N)’s voice caught a little on the word <em>mother. </em>“So I would like you to call me by that name.”</p><p>Near considered this for a while. “Very well,” he said. “From now on, I shall call you (Y/N).”</p><p>(Y/N) smiled. “Thanks, Near.”</p><p> </p><p>Names…what’s in a name?</p><p>Near wondered about how one could kill with a name and a face. A face and a name. A name and a face. Supernatural powers? Obviously. But the question was, why did this person have these powers in the first place? Of course, Kira hadn’t been killing for very long, but these powers. Were they-</p><p>-acquired from a Shinigami? Yes, that was obvious. Shinigami were following the Kiras; (Y/N) had seen that with her own two eyes. She even knew who the <em>original </em>Kira was, an obvious advantage. But she didn’t know <em>how </em>Light killed them. L was-</p><p>-arrogant to think that he could catch Kira without knowing how he killed. What do you do, when trying to find a murder? According to Near, first, you try to deduce <em>how </em>he kills. Did the killer use a knife or gun? A rope? His own two hands? You work from there. Is there anyone the victim knows who owns a gun? With a weapon-</p><p>-there’s evidence. There was definitely evidence; the deaths of the FBI agents proved that. But the question in (Y/N)’s head-</p><p>-the question in Near’s head remained. <em>How does, </em>thought Near<em>-</em></p><p><em>How did, </em>thought (Y/N)<em>-</em></p><p>
  <em>Kira-</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Light-</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Kill?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Near looked at (Y/N). He twirled his snowy-white hair with his finger</p><p><em>You aren’t Kira, (Y/N) (L/N). I knew it all along, believe me. The evidence points to you </em>not <em>being Kira. However, there is something you are hiding. Something dark. Something you don’t want anyone else to know. </em></p><p>
  <em>Why I think that?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The way you hold yourself. That fateful day in the Yellowbox Warehouse, where you caught the attention of L. You and Misa Amane contacted the police upon finding Naomi Misora’s dead body. Cause of death: heart attack. Kira wouldn’t want to be found so close to the scene of crime, so I highly doubt that you are them. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And yet, there’s something off about you. I noticed it when watching your conversation with Matsui during the interrogation. You were perfectly composed. Ice-cold, almost.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Like me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When Mello and you dropped off the grid, my suspicions had been confirmed. You are hiding something. Mello once had been suspicious of you, careful around you, but now he’s trusting you without second thought.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When I confronted him about it…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Why shouldn’t I trust her,” said Mello, glaring at Near for even asking. “She’s a good person; she can’t be Kira.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What basis do you have for these beliefs?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mello was caught off-guard. “I-I just know!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>No. I am not buying that, Mello. You don’t become the boss of the Mafia by blindingly trusting in people.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You don’t survive so long in the world of crime by being so trusting and protective.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But when you talked with Watari…I can’t see you being Kira. Someone who can obviously see the consequences of death wouldn’t kill people that easily. You aren’t sheltered, you aren’t naïve like Kir. So what are you if you’re not Kira, (Y/N)?</em>
</p><p>(Y/N) looked at Near. She twisted her ring round and round.</p><p>
  <em>What do you know, Near?</em>
</p><p><em>You don’t think I’m Kira, I’m sure of it. I’ve </em>seen <em>you work. You’re not dumb, and you don’t rely heavily on gut feelings like L or Mello. You operate on logic and logic alone. <s>Like Kyubey.</s></em></p><p><em>I’m sure you’re the only one here who suspects something about me. Mello trusts me too much. Matt doesn’t care. L is too fixated on Light to notice me in the slightest (slightly offending, to be honest). Light thinks I’m weak because I’m a girl. The Task Force don’t suspect me because…they’re the Task Force. They’ve got brawn, but not many brains, although they </em>are<em> dedicated, have to give them that. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that they hardly include me in anything; is it because they all think I’m weak? It </em>is<em> because they all think that…except for Near.</em></p><p>
  <em>Near…why does he seem so closed-off all the time? It’s like…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s like…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s like me.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>They were looking right into each other’s eyes.</p><p><em>L and Light…they’re enemies, frenemies, friends…but even though they hate each other, they respect each other because they can understand each other on a different level of thought than normal people…</em>thought Near.</p><p><em>They both think that they’re better than everyone else, smarter than everyone else, then someone comes along and breaks that illusion. They can’t be the ‘smartest’ if the other exists, so they’re trying to eliminate each other with their twisted game, </em>thought (Y/N).</p><p> </p><p><em>But I…</em>thought Near.</p><p><em>Don’t want…</em>(Y/N) thought</p><p><em>Our friendship to be like that, </em>they thought in unison.</p><p> </p><p><em>In a strange way, we’re like L and Light, </em>thought Near.</p><p><em>And yet we’re not, </em>thought (Y/N).</p><p>
  <em>They understand each other through their pride…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We understand each other through our humanity…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Near…I would like to be friends with you,” said (Y/N), smiling.</p><p>Nate River smiled back. “Me too.”</p><p><em>Finally, </em>thought (Y/N). <em>Someone who sees me.</em></p><p><em>Finally, </em>thought Near. <em>Someone who understands me.</em></p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Matt: Indifference</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>“AAAAAAHHHH!”</em> A scream sounded from the speakers. Matt lifted his head from his console.</p><p> </p><p>It was night duty. And naturally, Matt was the only candidate. Near and Mello had gone to sleep at Watari’s insistence, having worked ridiculously hard on the case. Matt’s contribution, on the other hand, in L’s own words, was -84%, so that’s why he was here.</p><p>“It’s so boring watching something that never changes,” he had said aloud while (Y/N) was trying to sleep in her prison, silently, before the screaming had started.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) thrashed around in her bed, so much so it was a wonder she hadn’t fallen right off and hit her head.</p><p>She screamed again. <em>“Don’t! Please! Don’t!”</em> she screamed.</p><p>Matt’s eyes were fixated on the screen. Not the screen of his console, the screen displaying (Y/N).</p><p><em>“I’m so sorry…”</em> she wept. <em>“I’m so sorry…”</em></p><p><em>A nightmare, </em>Matt thought.</p><p> </p><p>This was where Matt realized the difference between her and Light Yagami.</p><p>Light Yagami lived in a sheltered household, never truly being exposed to the real world, so to speak. He was innocent and believed in justice. He believed that believing would somehow fix the world.</p><p><em>She </em>wasn’t like that. She shared that same sadness the children in Wammy’s did. The sadness of knowing justice was just a word, the sadness of knowing balance simply meant that evil would exist as long there was good.</p><p> </p><p>Like the girls.</p><p> </p><p>There weren’t many girls at Wammy’s, so they all hung out together, in a little clique. They seemed more serious and hardened than the boys, always getting top marks in the physical exams, and they all wore these little rings. Rings with a coloured gem, and a design painted on their nail.</p><p> </p><p>As was common, Matt had developed a small crush on Linda, one of those girls.</p><p> </p><p>Linda had nightmares too. On bad nights, Matt could hear her screams all the way from his room, and when he heard her, he knew he wouldn’t be able to get any sleep.</p><p>When he heard them, he would go to her room, and ask her what the matter was. She would tell him it was something he didn’t need to worry about.</p><p>
  <em>“Matt, it’s alright. You can’t fight them. You can’t do anything.”</em>
</p><p><em>“I can and I will! I’ll even learn how to shoot a gun, how about that?”</em> </p><p>Linda had chuckled and smiled at that.</p><p> </p><p>Last he heard of her, she had gone missing, presumed dead.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”</em>
</p><p>A scream tore itself out of (Y/N)’s throat. Heart-wrenching, laced with despair.</p><p> </p><p>Matt felt a sense of déjà vu.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) thrashed and thrashed and thrashed-</p><p>Matt couldn’t take it anymore.</p><p> </p><p>He quickly went up to the microphone and pressed a few buttons.</p><p>“(Y/N).”</p><p>(Y/N) let out a small whimper.</p><p>“(Y/N),” said Matt in a soothing voice, the same voice he sometimes used on crying children when he was on babysitting duty back in Wammy’s. “Whatever you’re seeing, it can’t hurt you.”</p><p>A wail.</p><p>“It can’t hurt you,” soothed Matt. “You’re in a room, the door is locked, and I’m watching you, so you’ll be fine. I promise.”</p><p>(Y/N) opened her eyes.</p><p><em>“But…” </em>she whispered.</p><p>“They. Aren’t. Real,” Matt said firmly. He needed to drag her back to reality. “They cannot hurt you. And even if they find you, the moment I spot them, I’ll dispatch hundreds of police officers to kill them.” He was telling the truth.</p><p>
  <em>“…You can’t do anything.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Matt frowned.</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) heard footsteps from outside her prison.</p><p>“Who is it?” she called out.</p><p>“It’s Matt.”</p><p>“W-why are you here?”</p><p>“I’m going to stand outside this door and guard you. I know how to use a gun, <em>and</em> I have a pretty good aim too. Anyone trying to get you will be dead the minute I see them. So try and sleep, will you?”</p><p>(Y/N)’s eyes widened with realisation. She laughed. <em>How sweet, </em>she thought.</p><p>“Alright,” she said. “I’ll try.”</p><p>…</p><p>AFTER THE CONFINEMENT</p><p>…</p><p>A knock at Matt’s door.</p><p>“Come in,” he called out, not tearing his eyes from the screen as he furiously spammed one of the buttons on his controller.</p><p>The door gently swung open.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) smiled. “Hi, Matt. Playing video games again, I see.”</p><p>“Yeah. Wanna join in?”</p><p>A beat. “I…I don’t know how to play video games.”</p><p>Matt laughed. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that? I thought you said that you didn’t know how to play video games.”</p><p>“Um…you heard that right.”</p><p> </p><p>Matt paused his game. He turned to (Y/N) and lifted off his goggles, staring at her. “You don’t know how to play video games?” he asked incredulously.</p><p>“It’s not like that!” said (Y/N) defensively. “I just don’t know how to use the controller! It’s confusing, ok?”</p><p>Matt ran a hand through his hair. “Oh. My. God.”</p><p>“Wh-why are you acting like that?” she asked, flustered.</p><p>“Sit down.”</p><p>“Wh-”</p><p>“I am going to teach you how to play video games. And if you’re not a pro-gamer by the end of my teaching session, then I will give up gaming. For life.” Matt looked at (Y/N), and in that moment, she knew that everything he said was the truth.</p><hr/><p>After Matt had taught her how to use the controller, they had played video games together, losing track of time. Matt had fallen asleep in front of the TV screen.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) looked down at his sleeping, blissful face and smiled.</p><p>“Wow…that was fun. I haven’t done anything like that in ages…”</p><p>She brushed some hair from his face.</p><p>“I came here wanting to thank you for that night, when I was having a nightmare, but it seems like I won’t be able to now…not that I mind, actually.” She chuckled. “I wonder if you actually knew what I was seeing that night…”</p><p>She looked off into the distance.</p><p> </p><p>“I used to have a friend, who was a Magical Girl, like me, and was in the same Magical Girl group that I was part of. She made a contract with Kyubey because the guy she liked had a car accident. He loved horse-riding, but the doctors said that his injuries would prevent him from doing that ever again.” (Y/N) smiled. “She had the most amazing whip for a weapon. Sometimes, when we were in a particularly hard spot, the end of her whip would go up in flames…It was the coolest thing ever when she did that. But one day, the boy she made a contract for died in a riding accident. Snapped his neck.”</p><p>A single tear ran down her cheek.</p><p>“Something snapped in her too. She started fighting more recklessly, as if she didn’t value her own life anymore…until…her Soul Gem. It turned as dark as the night, and she fell into despair. That was the first time I ever saw a Magical Girl turn into a Witch. Guess what I was having a nightmare about.” She laughed bitterly. “Sometimes…sometimes I dream that my Soul Gem’s gone dark too, along with hers, and we turn into Witches together. It’s so painful…sometimes, it feels like only the agony exists, nothing else.”</p><p> </p><p>She picked up Matt. She carried him to his bed and tucked him in, pulling the covers over him.</p><p>“Thank you, Matt, for trying to guard me from the monsters. But there’s nothing you can really do when I’m destined to become one of those monsters.”</p><p>She smiled, and looked at her ring, which was glowing. <em>A Witch.</em></p><p>“Good night, Matt. Sweet dreams.”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Bonus Chapter: Misa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Misa Amane had never been more focused in her entire life. She <em>had </em>to get this right, or else all hell would break loose.</p><p> </p><p>“Onee-chan!” whined Sakura Amane. “Be <em>careful! </em>You almost ruined it!”</p><p>Misa stroked Sakura’s nail with the nail polish brush once again. “Alright, alright, Sakura,” she said, laughing a little to herself. “Calm down! I’ve done this loads of times!”</p><p>“After you’ve painted my nails, can you help me dye my hair blonde like yours?” Sakura asked eagerly. “So I can look just like you!”</p><p>“Sakura, if you do that, Mom will freak out.”</p><p>“Come <em>ooooon! </em>You’re no fun!” Sakura pouted playfully.</p><p> </p><p>Misa smiled. “Sakura, I like your brown hair just as it is,” she said, tugging gently on Sakura’s hair. “Besides, why do you copy me all the time? You should try being yourself, it’s much more fun, and much less stressful!”</p><p>“Alright!” Sakura grinned. “I’ll dye my hair pink instead!”</p><p>“Sakura!”</p><p>“Girls, come down for dinner!” shouted their mother.</p><hr/><p>“Mom, you shouldn’t give me so much food. Misa’s a model now, I have to keep thin!”</p><p>“Misa!” scolded her mother. “You <em>have </em>to eat, otherwise you’ll fall ill!” Misa’s mother proceeded to pile <em>even more </em>food onto Misa’s plate.</p><p>“I’m pretty sure that Misa only became a model so that she had an excuse not to eat your food,” said Misa’s dad playfully. “Not that I blame her.”</p><p>“Alright, then, if my cooking is <em>so </em>bad, then you don’t need to have any of it!” Misa’s mom took her husband’s plate from him. “This will be going to the dog!”</p><p>“N-NO! I didn’t mean it! And we don’t even have a dog!” Misa’s dad attempted to placate his wife in a flustered and awkward manner. Misa’s mom sighed and gave him his plate back.</p><p> </p><p>“Mom could never stay angry at dad for long,” remarked Sakura.</p><p>“True,” giggled Misa. “Mom is a very soft person, even though she tries to be strict. The only leverage she has is her cooking. ‘Misa! If you misbehave, then no apple pie for you tonight!’” Misa comedically imitated her mother.</p><p>“Mom, are we having apple pie today?” asked Sakura.</p><p>“Yes,” said Misa’s mom, smiling. “I’ll just bring it out of the oven-”</p><p> </p><p>A crash. The front door broke down, and in came a man. The man’s face would burn itself into Misa’s memory, and haunt her for the rest of her life.</p><p> </p><p>“Give me all your money, all your valuables, EVERYTHING!”</p><hr/><p>They were dead. Sakura, her mom, her dad, <em>dead.</em> Eighteen years old, and Misa had turned into an orphan.</p><p>“Your witness statement should be enough to condemn the man,” Mikami, her prosecutor had told her. “There is no way he is going to run free.”</p><hr/><p>The trial dragged on and on, and Misa was losing hope. Mikami was trying his hardest, she knew, but that didn’t seem to be enough.</p><p>Until…</p><p>Mikami had a grim expression. “Misa…the man. He’s…he’s going free. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Misa Amane collapsed to the ground and cried.</p><hr/><p>There was nothing nobody could do to help her. The agency had given her some time off to help her recover. But she was <em>all alone.</em> There was no one. All her support, all her hope had been killed by the man.</p><p>She would occasionally get a few emails from Mikami, asking after her health and well-being, and once in a blue moon, a call. To which the answer was always, yes, Misa was fine, and no, she didn’t need any help.</p><p>What she wanted, what she <em>needed…</em></p><p>Misa Amane would only feel happiness again if that man died.</p><hr/><p>Rabbit? Cat? What was the thing sitting on her desk?</p><p>“Aiiii!” screamed Misa, and she got a book from her shelf, and tried to smash it. The creature easily dodged.</p><p> </p><p>“Please put down the book,” it said. “I do not wish to harm you.” <em>It speaks!</em></p><p>“Wh-what are you, and why are you in my house?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m Kyubey!” it said.</p><p> </p><p>Misa blinked. “Kyubey…” <em>It kinda sounds like the word ‘cute.’ </em>To be honest, if ‘Kyubey’ was a stuffed toy, Misa would buy it in a split second. She liked cute things!</p><p>“And I’m here to make a contract with you!” it said.</p><p>“Contract?”</p><p>“Yes! Make a wish, and I’ll grant it for you. In return, you have to become a Magical Girl and kill Witches!”</p><p>“You…you can grant any wish?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>C-can he bring people back from the dead? But…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My family’s bodies have already been cremated, so it might not work. And something bad might happen if I wish them back to life; it always does in the stories.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So…If I don’t want to wish them back to life, what’s the next best thing?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Can you kill people with wishes?” blurted Misa.</p><p>“Yes,” said Kyubey. “That would be quite easy.”</p><p>“Then…yes! A thousand times yes!”</p><p>“So, Misa Amane…what is your wish?”</p><p> </p><p>“I wish…” Misa took a deep breath. “I wish that the man who killed my family will die!”</p><p>“Wish granted.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyubey reached its ears out into Misa’s chest…</p><hr/><p>Somewhere, in an apartment, a man was cooking his food.</p><p>A red glow encased his chest.</p><p>“Wh-what’s happening?”</p><p>A heartbeat.</p><p>He collapsed to the floor, dead.</p><p>Cause of death: heart attack.</p><hr/><p>Misa Amane awkwardly handled her brand-new chainsaw.</p><p>“Why is this thing so heavy-WHOA!”</p><p>It suddenly switched on, the roar deafening.</p><p>“WHY THIS WEAPON? WHY?” she yelled.</p><p> </p><p>She tried to slice into the Witch, failing epically, and falling on her butt.</p><p>“Ow…” The Witch, a strange sort of vegetable monster, loomed above Misa, ready to kill her. <em>This is how I die…killed by broccoli…how lame…</em></p><p> </p><p>Ice suddenly encased the Witch. Then it shattered into pieces.</p><p> </p><p>The Labyrinth blurred away into nothingness.</p><p> </p><p>The girl who had saved Misa wore white boots, a black pencil skirt lined with lace, and had a small blue cape draped around her shoulders. Her Soul Gem was located on her navel, a clear, crystal heart. She wielded sharp daggers.</p><p>“Wh-who are you?” said Misa. Misa could feel herself getting faint.</p><p>The last thing Misa heard before she passed out was the name, “(Y/N).”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Eyeballs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I had a blackout this week. I was in the process of compiling ‘As Reality Warps,’ when something hit me on the head. When I woke up today, all of my writing was done and published, with strict instructions from someone named ‘Firefly’ not to read those chapters under any circumstances, at risk of my brain exploding… I shall heed their warning.</p><p>I thought it was high time to talk about the Shinigami Eyes. As you might know, the Shinigami Eyes are, as the name suggests, the eyes of a Shinigami, which can be bestowed upon a human by a Shinigami in exchange for half of the human’s remaining lifespan. These eyes allow you to see the name and lifespan of a living human. Emphasis on <em>living human.</em></p><p>Half of a lifespan…</p><p>A high price to pay…</p><p>Is it worth the cost?</p><hr/><p>“Hey, guys?” asked the girl “Do you reckon that Yotsuba’s the new Kira?”</p><p>L blinked, a rare occurrence. “Why do you think so, (Y/N)?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well…lately, Yotsuba’s stock has been rising steadily over the past three months. There’s also been a lot of unusual and untimely deaths concentrated over the weekend, all convenient to Yotsuba,” she said. At the boys’ look of confusion, she explained, “I’ve been using that new system which gives me access to worldwide data.”</p><p> </p><p>Near looked up from his puzzle. “Heart attacks?”</p><p>The girl shook her head. “No…but do you think it’s a possibility that Kira can kill with methods <em>other </em>than heart attacks? It would clear up a lot of things, actually.” <em>And Naomi Misora told me that too…</em></p><p> </p><p>“That’s not totally impossible,” said Mello, snapping a piece off his chocolate bar with his teeth. “I mean, he can kill with heart attacks, <em>and </em>control his victims, so why not other methods?”</p><p>“I double checked what you said…” said Matt, furiously typing on his computer. “It’s true.”</p><p> </p><p>Light looked at her in admiration. “Wow…I knew you were smart, but not <em>this </em>smart.”</p><p>The girl gave him a little side smile. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>L got out a microphone and spoke into it.</p><p>“Can all members of the Task Force who are currently here gather at the main room in half an hour? We have just made an important discovery.”</p><p>L switched off the microphone and looked at the girl. “That’s half an hour for you to gather information and make a presentation.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl smiled demurely, but on the inside…</p><p>
  <em>What the hell, L? Half an hour? Are you serious?</em>
</p><p>“Alright, Ryuzaki!” she chirped, and gathered some files. And took L’s cake. “I’m just gonna go put the whole thing together, so don’t bother me, please.”</p><p>She went into the other room, L staring at her in shock. “My cake…” he mumbled.</p><p>Light struggled to hold in a laugh</p><hr/><p>“Alright, so as you can see in this graph, there is an obvious,<em> positive</em> correlation with Yotsuba’s stock rise and Kira’s non-criminal kills.”</p><p>The girl was explaining her findings to the rest of the Task Force, gesturing to a paper displayed on a stand.</p><p>“I personally think that it’s unlikely that Kira was hired, because it would mean that apparently there’s someone smarter than six genii and four average people working over there…um, sorry for calling you average!” she said when she saw Matsuda frown in disappointment.</p><p>“No, it’s no problem. Please go on,” said Aizawa, smiling in encouragement.</p><p> </p><p>“So…” She brought out a whiteboard and placed it on the stand and got out a marker. “How about we do some brainstorming? It could help us make some progress.”</p><p>“Could we infiltrate Yotsuba?” asked Aizawa.</p><p>The girl wrote INFILTRATE YOTSUBA? on the board in big, red letters.</p><p>“Kira’s involvement makes infiltration risky,” said Near. “If Kira were to find out any of our names, they could control us to sabotage our own plans, or other problematic things.”</p><p>The girl opened her mouth to offer another idea but was cut off by footsteps.</p><p> </p><p>“Mr. Yagami, Mogi. You’re just in time, we were just brainstorming,” she said. “We’ve discovered that Kira’s connected to Yotsuba…”</p><p>“Yotsuba?!” said Soichiro.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“That must be it!” he said. “I just heard from the director that Kira’s started bribing politicians.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl quickly scribbled KIRA IS BRIBING POLITICIANS on the board, then scribbled YOTSUBA’S MONEY? She connected the two words with a line. She was tempted to do a little victory dance, but she figured it was too premature a time to do one.</p><p> </p><p>“Did the director get approval for our request to find more applicants to join our investigation?” asked Aizawa.</p><p>“It’s the opposite,” said Soichiro. “The police have officially given up.”</p><p>Silence. “WHAT?!” said Matsuda and Aizawa in unison.</p><p> </p><p>“I <em>so </em>saw that coming,” said Mello. “The police are chickens.”</p><p>“I second you on that,” said Matt.</p><p>“Third,” said Near simply.</p><p>Aizawa gave them a dirty look, before returning his attention to the chief.</p><p> </p><p>“Me and Mogi have talked, and he seems determined to remain here,” said Soichiro. “Matsuda, Aizawa. If you want to keep chasing Kira, then you need to join me and Mogi, and resign from the NPA!”</p><hr/><p>In the end, Aizawa was the only one who quit, in a fit of rage.</p><p>He stomped through the barriers and guards, ready to leave, until…</p><p> </p><p>“Mr. Aizawa.” The girl.</p><p>“What is it, (Y/N)?” he asked.</p><p>“You forgot your wallet,” she said, and held out said wallet.</p><p> </p><p>Aizawa took it. “Why did you come?”</p><p>“Like I said. To give your wallet back,” she said, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.</p><p>“No. I meant why did <em>you </em>come here.”</p><p>“Oh…well, no one else would go. The Task Force were too busy with trying to get stuff done, Ryuzaki was too busy eating cake, Light was too busy being handcuffed to Ryuzaki, and the successors weren’t really happy when you called them ‘entitled brats’ in your ‘53 Reasons Why I Hate Ryuzaki’ rant earlier.” Aizawa thought he saw a gleam of mischief in her eyes. “Although, Mello <em>can </em>be pretty bratty at times, not going to deny it.” Nope, it wasn’t his imagination. She was smiling.</p><p>“I understand.” Aizawa returned her smile with a bittersweet smile.</p><p>“No problem. And by the way, no hard feelings. It wasn’t really fair on Ryuzaki’s part for testing you, honestly. I understand why you quit. Being forced to choose between the investigation and your family…I can’t imagine the pressure.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks,” said Aizawa. Something came to his mind. “Before I leave this place, I should tell you something. Chief..no, ex-chief Yagami suspects you of being Kira.”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“Just thought you should know. Because you’re working with him. And personally, I disagree.” Aizawa looked forward. “Can’t see what’s so sinister about you. You’re just an ordinary girl…”</p><p>“…Ordinary, huh?” The girl laughed to herself bitterly. “Well, I can’t blame him either. Between me and Light, he’d choose his son as the innocent one. It’s only natural.” She smiled. “Still, thanks for the heads-up.” Her cell phone rang.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?”</p><p>
  <em>“(Y/N)-chaaaan, where are you? The shoot’s gonna to start in a few minutes! You’ll be late if you don’t hurry up!”</em>
</p><p>“Oh! Thanks for reminding me, Misa!”</p><p>She cut the call. “I’ll have to go with Matsuda now. Maybe we’ll see each other again when Kira’s caught.”</p><p>“Maybe…”</p><hr/><p>“Director! I can’t kiss Hideki; I have a boyfriend!” shrilled Misa.</p><p>“What?! Since when?!” shouted the girl, Matsuda, and the director in unison.</p><p>“Um, since last week…?” said Misa.</p><p>“How are we going to film the romantic scenes?” groaned the director.</p><p>The girl sighed. “Hey, I could just kiss Hideki instead,” she suggested. “I mean, Misa and I <em>are </em>supposed to be the same person, so it shouldn’t be too weird. You could use some of those camera tricks to make a smooth transition between our characters. Just…keep it short, please.”</p><p>“Good idea, (L/N)!”</p><p> </p><p>They went on filming.</p><p>“That’s it for today!” shouted the director. “Good work!”</p><p> </p><p>Misa and the girl walked away to Matsuda. “Eurgh,” said the girl, rubbing her lips. “Someone seriously needs to introduce Hideki-san to mouthwash…” muttered the girl. They giggled together.</p><p>“Matsuda, we’re just going out for a little while together, ‘kay?” said the girl.</p><p>“Alright!” chirped Matsuda.</p><p>They walked off.</p><hr/><p>“So, Mikami and you, huh?” said (Y/N) while they were tracking the Witch, with Misa’s Soul Gem.</p><p>“Yeah…Teru and me.”</p><p>“Congratulations! But…are you sure, Misa?”</p><p> </p><p>Misa looked at her in hurt. “What do you mean? I’m not good enough for him?”</p><p>“No! Not like <em>that.</em> I mean…you’re serious, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Yeah, I am.” Misa smiled. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”</p><p>“But…Misa, you’re a Magical Girl, and Mikami’s the Second Kira, or at least, used to be. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this? You could end up getting really hurt!” </p><p> </p><p>Misa took a deep breath. “I know. I thought about it really hard, for a really long time, and I realised…I want to.” Red light illuminated Misa’s face. “After the burglar killed my mother, father, and Sakura, I was devastated. Teru was there to support me, even though he was just my prosecutor. It’s…it’s hard to explain it in words, but…he makes me happy. I realised it when he asked me out recently. And even though I probably don’t have much longer left to live, I…I want to spend the rest of my life with him!” she exclaimed passionately.</p><p>“Misa…” The girl was at a loss for words. “If that’s what you want…” The girl forced a smile onto her face.</p><p>Misa smiled. “Thanks for supporting me!”</p><p> </p><p><em>Misa…</em>The girl looked up to the sky. <em>There really is no option, is there? If I want to keep Misa from falling into despair, I’ll have to protect Mikami too. </em></p><p>
  <em>Well…that’s no problem. It’s the least I can do.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Misa opened the portal to the Labyrinth and transformed. The girl transformed too.</p><p>Misa grinned widely and revved up her chainsaw. “Let’s rock this joint!”</p><hr/><p>“Madoka…It’s nice to see you again.” The girl offered Madoka a smile. Her sleep her brought her here again, and it was safe to say that she didn't really mid.</p><p>Madoka smiled back. “Always a pleasure, (Y/N). Please, sit down.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl obliged. She took a sip out of the cup in front of her.</p><p>“How are things?” asked Madoka.</p><p>“Misa’s in love,” said the girl. “With the <em>Second Kira.”</em></p><p>Madoka nodded in understanding. “I see…Last I checked, he had given up his powers and memories.”</p><p>“Apparently. The Shinigami’s not around him anymore.”</p><p>“Hm…the Second Kira had the power to kill with only a face, didn’t he?”</p><p>“Yes…where are you going with this, Madoka?”</p><p> </p><p>Madoka looked at her.</p><p>“(Y/N) …you wouldn’t happen to know about the Shinigami Eyes, wouldn’t you?”</p><p>“Shinigami Eyes?”</p><p>“The eyes of a Shinigami. Someone stalked by a Shinigami can make a deal for them, enabling them to see anyone’s name and lifespan by looking at their face, in exchange for half of the human’s lifespan. Of course…”</p><p>Madoka took a deep breath. “Someone with the Shinigami Eyes will not be able to see the name and lifespan of a Magical Girl. They’ll see…they’ll see her Witch Name instead.”</p><p>The girl’s eyes widened. Her hand floated to above her head. “W-Witch Name?”</p><p>“Yes…When the Shinigami King mentioned this to me, he told me that there are many differences between a normal human and a Magical Girl. And therefore…”</p><p>“…we can’t be killed by Kira. <em>I </em>can’t be killed by Kira.” The girl breathed in and out.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>This is not good.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Not the whole ‘can’t be killed by Kira’ thing, the ‘Witch Name’ thing. It might seem like a good thing, but it’s not. It makes us stick out like sore thumbs to the Second Kira!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I…This is not something I need to worry about right now. I’ll deal with it when I get there.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The apartment quickly started blurring.</p><p>“Ah. It’s time for you to take your leave, (Y/N).”</p><hr/><p>And just like that, the girl was awake.</p><hr/><p>“Haah…” said Aiko, sighing at Taro from a distance, safely hidden in a bush. “I really do love him…”</p><p>“So do I…” said Aishi, sighing along with Aiko. “And now Keiko can’t touch him anymore…” Aishi laughed gaily. “Life really is perfect!”</p><p>Aiko looked at Aishi. “Why do you like killing people so much?”</p><p>Aishi smiled. “Aiko, it’s really simple, actually. You-” Aishi pointed to Aiko “-wanted to kill people. But since these urges of yours weren’t ‘acceptable,’ you created <em>me.” </em>Aishi pointed to herself. “That way, Aiko Jekyll wouldn’t be the one killing. Oh no, it would be <em>me, </em>Aishi Hyde, who’d have blood on her hands. But in the end…Aiko Jeykll and Aishi Hyde are <em>one and the same.”</em></p><p> </p><p>“And…cut! Good work, ladies and gentlemen! Take a three-hour break!”</p><p> </p><p>Matsuda was frowning to himself. “We’re staying late today, aren’t we?” he asked while handing Misa a drink.</p><p>“Yeah, we are…past ten,” answered Misa.</p><p>“Okay! I’ll be back, then!” Matsuda rushed off.</p><p>“Dammit…” said the girl. She looked at Misa. “You can handle work by yourself, right Misa?”</p><p>“Huh? Yeah. I can, but why?”</p><p>“I’m going to follow Matsuda. He might do something stupid…”</p><p> </p><p>The girl rushed off.</p><p><em>Matsuda has a </em>massive <em>inferiority complex…almost as big as Mello’s. Except today…</em></p><p>The girl recalled the earlier events that day…</p><p>
  <em>“Thanks for the info, dad!” said Light. “It could be valuable!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Mogi-san has always been surprisingly efficient,” said L.</em>
</p><p><em>Literally everyone </em>except <em>Matsuda got a compliment. If </em>that<em> hasn’t fuelled Matsuda’s inferiority complex, I don’t know what will.</em></p><p>
  <em>Ah well…looks like I’m going to have to make sure he doesn’t screw us all over.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Matsuda ran to the back entrance of Yotsuba, and the girl followed</p><p>The first obstacle was a security guard. Matsuda crawled past him, and after a few minutes, the girl did the same.</p><p> </p><p>Next, Matsuda ran forward, stopping when he saw a bunch of people. After they got into the elevator, Matsuda checked the floor they were going to. “Number 19…” he muttered, so softly that the girl could barely hear him, and dashed up the stairs, his footsteps thumping.</p><p>After waiting a few minutes, did the same, but in a stealthier manner. <em>Here’s hoping…</em></p><p> </p><p>When they reached the 19<sup>th</sup> floor, Matsuda went to the room with the double doors, and pressed his ear to it. The girl couldn’t hear <em>anything. </em>She waited in the shadows, fingers crossed.</p><hr/><p>An hour. They were there for an <em>entire hour. </em>The girl was seriously reconsidering her decision…</p><p>Matsuda suddenly grinned widely.</p><p> </p><p>But the door opened.</p><p> </p><p>Two men were looking down at Matsuda in shock.</p><p>
  <em>Uh oh…</em>
</p><p>“Who the hell are you?!” <em>Oh my Madoka.</em></p><p>
  <em>Looks like it’s time to channel my inner Misa-Misa!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Matsui!” shouted the girl and rushed up to the extremely unlucky man. “I was looking for you <em>everywhere! </em>Do you know how worried I was? I <em>know </em>that you try to do your best, but…”</p><p>She looked up at the men. “Oh, I am <em>so </em>sorry!” She bowed down. “I’m (Y/N) (L/N), from Yoshida Productions! And this is Matsui, my manager. He was trying get a job for mein Yotsuba’s next commercial, but he’s <em>really</em> new at this…I apologise on his behalf.” She bowed down again.</p><p>“She’s really beautiful…” muttered one of the men. The girl resisted the urge to cringe.</p><p> </p><p>She looked up again from her bow, and her eyes widened.</p><p>
  <em>The Shinigami…</em>
</p><p>She was looking at a man with a sleazy sort of face, who looked kind of like a monkey.</p><p>Behind him…the Shinigami.</p><p>
  <em>I’ve found Kira!</em>
</p><hr/><p>Two of the men took them both into the next room.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m one of the stars of next spring’s movie ‘Jekyll and Hyde,’” said the girl. “I’m co-starring along with Hideki Ryuga, and Misa Amane, but you probably know that already…”</p><p>The nervous-looking one kept on scanning her, then Matsuda, then the blonde with his eyes.</p><p>“They both have their ID’s…and they don’t have anything suspicious. I guess they’re not spies from rival companies…” said the nervous one.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, may I go to the toilet?” asked the girl.</p><p>The nervous one and the blonde exchanged looks. “Go ahead, but leave your cell phone here, Miss (L/N)."</p><p>The girl obliged. The blonde gave her directions to the women’s toilet.</p><p> </p><p>Once she was safe inside the toilet stall, the girl called L with her second cell phone, which she’d kept hidden.</p><p>“Ryuzaki, help!” she whispered. “Matsuda’s totally gonna screw himself over if you don’t!”</p><p>
  <em>“What happened, (Y/N)?”</em>
</p><p>“Matsuda tried to infiltrate Yotsuba, and I followed him in secret. I’m going to take a guess and say he got some stuff on Kira, but he got caught. I managed to bail him out, <em>somewhat, </em>but now we’re stuck with some people…”</p><p>
  <em>“…I see. (Y/N), here is the plan. Listen to it carefully and follow it to the letter.”</em>
</p><p>The girl listened to the plan.</p><p>“Alright…but if I die, you are <em>so </em>paying for my funeral.”</p><hr/><p>“Hey, guys?” said the girl. “How about we go to an <em>amazing </em>restaurant and have a big party with tons of girls from the agency?”</p><p>She could practically <em>see </em>some of them drooling.</p><p>“I’m going!”</p><p>“Me too!”</p><hr/><p>The restaurant building was pretty high up, although not so high that the plan wouldn’t work.</p><p> </p><p>The girl tried her best not to squirm as Kyosuke Higuchi threw his arm around her. “Hey, (Y/N), why don’t you give me your number? You’re totally my type, and I’ll treat you good…” he slurred.</p><p>
  <em>No. No way in hell.</em>
</p><p>Her gaze fell to the Shinigami behind him. <em>If this Shinigami’s here, where’s the other one? </em>she thought. <em>Did it go back to wherever it came from? </em></p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N), so <em>will </em>you give me your number?”</p><p>
  <em>No. </em>
</p><p>“Um…how about my email?” She recited her email address to him.</p><p>He smiled, or rather, leered. “Thanks, girl. I’ll take good care of it.” He winked. <em>Get me out of here. </em></p><p> </p><p>Matsuda stomped out of the toilet. “Man, am I drunk!” he announced. “Time to get some fresh air! Hey, everyone, look at me! It’s the Taro Matsui Show!”</p><p>“Oh, so you know some tricks?” said Higuchi.</p><p> </p><p>He climbed onto the balcony wall. And started walking on it.</p><p>“Matsui, you might hurt yourself!” the girl called out.</p><p>“Heh, heh. Don’t worry, I’m always doing this…”</p><p>“Yay! Go, Matsui!” cheered Misa. The girl had informed her of the plan earlier, in secret.</p><p>He attempted to do a handstand. And fell.</p><p> </p><p>Taro Matsui was now dead, and Touta Matsuda was safe from Kira.</p><hr/><p>The girl snapped a photo.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe I get to see you in a nurse’s outfit, Mello,” she said, keeping a carefully neutral expression.</p><p>“Yeah.” Matt grinned and gave his best friend a chef’s kiss. “I’m tempted to go to the other side, if only for you, Mello.”</p><p>“S-shut up!” growled Mello. “I only did it for the Kira case!”</p><p>“I personally don’t know what’s the big deal ,” said Near. A tiny smile spread on Near’s face. “I could hardly tell the difference.”</p><p>“Wh-wh-are you-COME HERE, YOU OBNOXIOUS SHEEP!” roared Mello, who stomped over to Near.</p><p> </p><p>Light stood protectively in front of Near. “Let’s all get along, guys. We’ve finally got a lead! I know we’ve all been working hard-”</p><p>“Hard?” scoffed the girl. “I’ve been doing intensive research <em>and</em> had to talk to Higuchi today. Have you <em>met </em>the guy?” She shuddered. “His hands, they wander so much…promise me I won’t ever have to do that again.’’</p><p> </p><p>Mello looked at her. “Was he really that bad?” He frowned. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“He didn’t try anything, right?” asked Near in concern</p><p>“No, nothing much. I’m just glad I got to help you guys on the case,” said the girl forcing a smile.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I know who the Second Kira is.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>All that’s left to do is find out how he kills, and make sure he can’t kill again.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Light: What Would You Think of Me?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ryuzaki, what do you think happened to (Y/N)?” Light was worried about (Y/N). She seemed to be sullener these days, more depressed.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you mean, what <em>hasn’t </em>happened to her?”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>L spun around on his chair and bored into Light’s eyes. “Check her files,” he said simply.</p><p>“Check her <em>files? </em>That would be an invasion of privacy!” Light protested.</p><p>“Matt spied on her, <em>and</em> we placed a considerable amount of cameras in her house for quite a long time. I think privacy’s been thrown out of the window long ago.”</p><p>“You WHAT?!”</p>
<hr/><p>Sayu Yagami dully walked up the stairs of the abandoned building. Step by step, step by step, step by step. She would be there soon. She was sure of it.</p><p> </p><p>Where was she going?</p><p>The place.</p><p>Who was leading her there?</p><p>The Witch.</p><p> </p><p>Step by step, step by step, step by step.</p><p>She would be there soon.</p><p> </p><p>The Witch’s Kiss on her neck was dark against her skin.</p>
<hr/><p>“Misa! She’s gonna jump!” shouted (Y/N).</p><p>“On it!” shouted Misa. Misa quickly pulled out a net from under her skirt, which she kept in case of emergencies. She used her magic to make it float under Sayu, catching her.</p><p>Misa made her float gently to the ground.</p><p>“She’s unconscious,” said Misa. “And she has a Witch’s Kiss…”</p><p>In a flash of light, (Y/N) transformed. “We need to get inside and fight the Witch,” she said.</p><p>“Alright.”</p>
<hr/><p>(Y/N) pocketed the Grief Seed the Witch dropped after their fight and used it. She tossed it to Misa.</p><p>“It’s good for one more use, and then we have to give it to that white rat.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hello.” <em>Speak of the devil.</em></p><p> </p><p>Misa used the Grief Seed on her Soul Gem, then tossed it to Kyubey, who caught it in his mouth.</p><p>“Now, please leave,” said (Y/N). Kyubey obliged without comment.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) kneeled in front of Sayu.</p><p>Sayu’s eyes fluttered open, and she sat straight up.</p><p>“Wh-what…where am I?”</p><p>“You’re in a safe place,” said Misa, kneeling next to (Y/N).</p><p>“Did I try to…” Realization dawned on Sayu’s face. “I…I did! Oh god…” Sayu hugged Misa and started to cry. “I want to go home!” she wailed.</p><p>“Of course. Can you give me your parent’s number, maybe? I could call her.”</p><p>Sayu tearfully recited her mother’s number, and (Y/N) called her.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Hello? Who is this?”</em>
</p><p>“My name (Y/N) (L/N), ma’am. I’m calling about your daughter…”</p><p>
  <em>“You’ve found Sayu?! Can I talk to her?”</em>
</p><p>(Y/N) offered Sayu her phone.</p><p>
  <em>“Sayu, where are you? I’ll be right there!”</em>
</p><p>“Mom…” blubbered Sayu, then she immediately burst into tears.</p><p>(Y/N) took the phone and told Sayu’s mother where they were. “I think you should come as quickly as possible.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Thank you so much!” Sachiko bowed down to (Y/N) and Misa, along with Sayu. “I can’t find a way to express my gratitude…I was so afraid that something might have happened to her! Please, come over to my house! I’ll serve you dinner!”</p><p>“No, we couldn’t possibly impose on you…” said (Y/N), chuckling nervously.</p><p>“I insist! It’s the least I can do!” Sachiko said.</p><p>Misa and (Y/N) exchanged looks. “Well, what’s the harm?” said Misa.</p>
<hr/><p>(Y/N) was perfectly alright, until she spotted a picture of Light Yagami, holding a trophy.</p><p>“Um…Sayu…who’s that?”</p><p>Sayu smiled. “That’s Light, my big brother! Do you find him handsome?” she asked with a suggestive smile.</p><p>Cue (Y/N) overheating. “U-um, I-I, d-d-d-c-d-w-d-d-f-f-ff-” Her stammering was cut off by Misa.</p><p>“Sayu…try not to ask (Y/N) about boys, or romance in general…she <em>cannot</em> handle it,” said Misa, patting (Y/N) on the back.</p><p>“Ah, it’s alright!” Sayu chirped. “But just so you know, I <em>definitely </em>wouldn’t mind having you as a sister-in-law!” Sayu winked.</p><p>“K-kya!” (Y/N) would have burst into flames if Misa hadn’t emptied a bottle of water over her head. The water evaporated into a little cloud of steam, but (Y/N) was alright.</p><p> </p><p>They all sat at the table together. (Y/N) looked at the food. <em>Wow…I haven’t eaten a home-cooked meal in years…</em> (Y/N) started eating the food. It tasted good.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, how was your day, Sayu?” Light asked his sister through the phone.</p><p>
  <em>“Um…so today…I tried to jump from a building…”</em>
</p><p>“What?!”</p><p>
  <em>“I-it’s ok! Two girls saved me! I’m alright!”</em>
</p><p>“Who saved you?”</p><p>
  <em>“They were called (Y/N) (L/N) and Misa Amane…why do you wanna know?”</em>
</p><p>“…”</p><p>
  <em>“Um, Light? Are you there?”</em>
</p><p>“…yeah. I’m here.”</p>
<hr/><p>“(Y/N) …”</p><p>“Yes, Light, Ryuzaki?”</p><p> </p><p>“Light-kun wants to tell you something…” said L, pushing Light forward.</p><p>“Um…(Y/N) …” Light fidgeted a bit. “Um…I wanted to thank you for saving Sayu.”</p><p>L looked at both of them. “I’m going to the toilet. Goodbye.” L promptly unlocked the handcuffs and walked off. “(Y/N)-san, keep an eye on Light-kun.”</p><p>“U-um, okay…”</p><p> </p><p>They were alone.</p><p> </p><p>Light sat near (Y/N), in the chair next to her. He took her hands in his. “(Y/N) …what’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird around me since the Higuchi incident, don’t think I haven’t noticed.” His eyes bored into hers. “You can tell me anything, you know. I won’t judge you. Did he…did he do something to you?” Light’s eyes gleamed red. “Because if he did…”</p><p> </p><p>“No, Light. It’s just…let’s say…that I secretly moonlighted as a Magical Girl and fought monsters. What would you think of me?”</p><p>“Magical Girl?” Light laughed. “I don’t know where <em>that </em>came from, but I’d think I’d like you anyway.”</p><p>“Let’s say that…I secretly had a really dark and twisted past. What would you think of me?”</p><p>“I would like you anyways,” said Light, smiling.</p><p>“Let’s say that I don’t have a soul, that I’m basically a walking, talking, fresh corpse. What would you think of me then?”</p><p>“I’d like you anyways,” he answered simply.</p><p>“Let’s say…that I’m destined to die. That I’m destined to turn into a monster. What…what would you think of me then?”</p><p>Light leaned into (Y/N). “I’d…I’d love you anyways,” he whispered.</p><p> </p><p>And in that moment, he kissed her.</p><p> </p><p>When they separated, the first thing (Y/N) said, with heated cheeks was, “No.”</p><p>“What?” Light looked confused, hurt-</p><p>“It’s not that I don’t like you. I-I do, actually. It’s that we need to concentrate on the Kira case. After that…”</p><p>Light understood. “I’ll take you out again after Kira’s executed, how about that?” he said, grinning.</p><p>(Y/N) gave him a small smile back.</p>
<hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. L: Lie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was all alone. Sitting in the park, all alone.</p><p>Of course, she was perfectly fine with it. Somewhat.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)-san,” called out a voice.</p><p>(Y/N) smiled. “Ryuzaki.”</p><p>Of course, she liked it more when she was with someone else.</p><p> </p><p>Ryuzaki took a seat in the bench next to her, crouching awkwardly.</p><p>“Why do you sit like that, Ryuzaki?”</p><p>“I sit like this because it increases my deduction skills by 40%.”</p><p>“…Liar. You sit like that because you want to.”</p><p>L blinked. “What?”</p><p>“You’re such a liar, Ryuzaki. I don’t really get why you lie all the time, honestly.”</p><p>“I am not a liar.”</p><p> </p><p>“See?” (Y/N) looked at him. “You’re lying again. You lie all the time. Like when you toss out those percentages of yours. Whenever you say something like, ‘Light Yagami has a 16% percent chance of being Kira,’ I <em>know </em>that you actually think the percentage’s over 90%.”</p><p>“Lying is not a bad thing. Humans lie all the time. And how did you figure out that I was lying? Were you watching me that closely, (Y/N)-san?” L’s ears went slightly pink as he said these words.</p><p>“No! N-nothing like that! It’s just…so obvious!”</p><p>“Obvious? Are you suggesting I’m a bad liar?”</p><p>“Well…yeah!”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright…how about we play a game?” L looked intently at her.</p><p> </p><p>“A game?” (Y/N) tilted her head to the side.</p><p>“Three truths and one lie. You must tell me three truths and one lie, and I have to figure out which is the lie.”</p><p>“…why?”</p><p>“Because I’ll win,” he said simply. “And prove you wrong. Shall we begin?”</p><p>She nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“I am twenty-six years old, my birthday is on Halloween, I love sweets, and I come from America.”</p><p>“The last one is a lie,” she said, and L smiled. “When you speak English, your accent’s pretty neutral, but if you listen closely you can hear hints of Britishness. You’re from England.”</p><p>“Well done, (Y/N)-san,” said L. “Your turn.”</p><p> </p><p>“I attend To-Oh university, I’m 19 years old, I have a crush on a guy I know-” she heated up when she realized what slipped out of her mouth “-and I’m a Magical Girl.”</p><p>“The last one,” said L. “Magical Girls don’t exist.” <em>Oh, really? </em>“My turn. I am a panda, Watari built a human washing machine for me, I’m addicted to sweets, and eat melon and ham without the ham.”</p><p>“Did Watari <em>seriously </em>do that?” asked (Y/N) in astonishment.</p><p>L smiled. “Yes, he did. I assume you know which one is the lie.”</p><p>“The first one.”</p><p>“Yes, well done. Your turn.”</p><p> </p><p>“Misa is my best friend, The sky is blue, you’re wearing a white t-shirt, and I’m a walking corpse.”</p><p>“The last one. Corpses don’t walk. They’re corpses. (Y/N)-san, you are very bad at this game.”</p><p>“I’m a bad liar. Your turn.”</p><p> </p><p>“I suspect Light Yagami to be Kira, you are a model, I sit in a strange position, and you are a boy.”</p><p>(Y/N) laughed. “Definitely that last one. And you say that <em>I’m </em>bad at this game!”</p><p>“You try.”</p><p> </p><p>“The sky is blue, grass is green, some types of roses are red, and I’m destined to turn into a monster.”</p><p>“The last one. (Y/N) …it’s so obvious. It’s not even a good lie. You even repeated on of the truths!”</p><p>(Y/N) smiled. “I’m such a bad liar, aren’t I?”</p><p> </p><p>“You are. My turn. You’re wearing a sweater-” she was, it was cold “-Misa gave that sweater to you, it’s in your least favourite colour, and I love you.”</p><p> </p><p>A pregnant pause.</p><p> </p><p>“Th-the last one,” stammered (Y/N). “It…it has to be…” It was almost like she was talking to herself.</p><p>“The second-to-last statement was a lie, (Y/N). Strange you didn’t notice it.”</p><p>“So-so, you really…” <em>No, no, nope, no…</em></p><p>“Yes.” <em>Oh my god.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Wh-why?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re smart, cute, brave, strong…what’s not to like?” asked L in a confused tone, his ears going a furious red. “Of course…I cannot pursue my feelings as of now, but after the Kira case, I intend to change that. I will not leave you alone.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He…he won’t leave me alone?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This must be about what I said in the zoo…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I should have known. I shouldn’t have said that, I shouldn’t have! I might get L killed! Or worse, he’ll hate me when he finds out what I really am!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But if he won’t leave me…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He won’t leave me…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He won’t leave.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, Ryuzaki.” (Y/N) gave him a smile.</p><p>
  <em>I’ll cherish it while it lasts.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Mello: Zombie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“No, I can’t come…”</em>
</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>
  <em>“I’m feeling really bad…it’s like my head won’t stop swirling…”</em>
</p><p>“Of course, we understand. Call in when you’re feeling better.”</p><p> </p><p>L cut the call and looked at Mello. “Mello, nothing’s happened to (Y/N)-san. She is simply sick, so she is not able to come today. Nothing to worry about.”</p><p>Mello frowned. “She never said she was sick. She said she was feeling bad…”</p><p>L put his thumb to his lip. “If you’re so worried, then why don’t you go and check in on her?”</p><p>Mello’s eyes widened.</p><hr/><p>“(Y/N)?” He knocked on the door, but found it was open. “Strange…”</p><p> </p><p>He entered. He was astonished at the sheer <em>neatness </em>of the house, and thought about his own home with dismay, which:</p><p>Had toys and puzzle pieces everywhere, courtesy of Near.</p><p>Reeked of cigarette smoke, courtesy of Matt.</p><p>Had chocolate wrappers lying around <em>everywhere</em>, thanks to his own addiction.</p><p>And don’t forget about the countless pizza boxes, the fridge chock-filled with expired food, the sink overflowing with dirty dishes, the oven covered with grime…he could go on and on.</p><p> </p><p>Gee…he was seriously considering leaving the Mafia and joining Near…at least the SPK was kept clean…</p><p> </p><p>He entered (Y/N)’s room.</p><p>(Y/N) was lying on her bed, wearing pyjamas. She was staring hollowly at the ceiling.</p><p>“(Y/N) …” said Mello.</p><p>(Y/N) turned her head slightly towards the door. “M-Mello.”</p><p>Her skin was pale, and her voice sounded tired. <em>She looks terrible.</em></p><p>“Thank you for coming…” she said.</p><p>“You’re welcome. You should have called someone to take care of you if you were sick, you know.”</p><p>“I’m not sick, Mello. I’m as healthy as a poisoned apple…”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“I’m not sick. I’m perfectly healthy. I just…don’t want to get out. There are…weird cupcakes dancing outside the house…I don’t want to get out…” (Y/N) pulled her blanket up.</p><p>“Don’t want to…” Mello shook his head in confusion. <em>What’s happening to her? She’s delusional!</em></p><p>“I just feel tired, that’s all. I’ll be back soon. You can go now if you want…just be careful of the dancing cupcakes…”</p><p>“No, are you crazy? I’m not leaving you alone!” scoffed Mello. <em>Her illness has obviously gone to her head…</em></p><p> </p><p>Mello pulled up a chair beside the bed and took a seat. He leaned over (Y/N), but blushed when she grabbed him and pulled him to her chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Mello, your hair is really nice…” she murmured, while stroking said hair. “You’re like a really cuddly teddy bear…” <em>HUH?! </em>“Even though you’re <em>ever</em> so tough…do you ever cry? Sometimes I wonder if no one’s watching, do you cry your heart out…I cry all the time…but I don’t need to cry now because I have Misa and Mello.” She smiled blissfully. “If they’re happy, then I’m happy too!”</p><p>“Am I really that important to you?”</p><p>(Y/N) gasped. “Don’t be silly!” she slurred. “Mello is the best person ever! He’s smart, brave, cool, handsome, charming…ya know, I asked Misa if he liked me as much as I liked him, and she said there was a 90% chance! I was so happy!”</p><p>She squealed, and hugged Mello tighter. “But then I realised, Mello wouldn’t ever love me, because I’m a zombie, you see?” Her voice became downcast. “How can you love a zombie?”</p><p> </p><p>“I bet…I bet that Mello would love you, no matter what you think you are.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) looked at Mello. “You think?”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>She smiled happily. “Yay! We’ll get married…” (Y/N)’s words trailed off, and she drifted to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>Mello’s phone buzzed. He wrestled himself out of (Y/N)’s grip and flipped it open. <em>A message from L…I have to get back to HQ.</em></p><p>He looked back at (Y/N). He leaned over her and kissed her forehead.</p><p>Mello took his leave.</p><hr/><p>“Glad to see you’re back, (Y/N),” said Mello.</p><p>(Y/N) smiled back. “Me too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah, (Y/N) …” Mello spun around to face (Y/N) and took a bite out of his chocolate. He smirked. “I never knew you wanted to marry me.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) froze. Then looked at Mello. “Wh-what are you talking about?”</p><p>“You were quite loose-lipped yesterday.”</p><p>“How much?”</p><p>“You told me that Mello was smart, brave, cool, handsome and charming…”</p><p>(Y/N) buried her face in her hands. “Oh god…” she mumbled.</p><p> </p><p>Mello laughed. “It’s all right.”</p><p>She looked up. “Really?”</p><p>“Yeah. Tell you what, after Kira’s dead, I’ll take you to Los Angles. It’s where I hung out before L called me here.”</p><p>“So does that mean…”</p><p> </p><p>“I like you too.” Mello gave her a swift kiss on the cheek before walking away.</p><p>(Y/N) promptly fainted.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Near: Wonder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To: <a>rogerruvie@wammyshouse.com</a></p><p>From: <a>melloM@email.com</a></p><p>____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p><p>Subject: Near’s baby pictures</p><p>Dear Roger,</p><p>Now, I know that you and I aren’t on the greatest of terms, but can you do me a favour and send me Near’s baby pictures? Actually, not just his baby pictures, but <em>all </em>his most embarrassing pictures. It’s for a really good cause, I swear.</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Mello.</p><p>P.S. If you send me the photos, I’ll get Watari to give you a raise.</p><hr/><p>To: <a>melloM@email.com</a></p><p>From: <a>rogerruvie@wammyshouse.com</a></p><p>Subject: Re: Near’s baby pictures</p><p>____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p><p>Mello,</p><p>Ask him to reduce my overtime too, and we have a deal.</p><p>Roger.</p><hr/><p>When Mello received Roger’s response, he cackled so loudly that Matt actually threw a cigarette at him. Unlit, of course.</p><p>“What the hell, Matt!”</p><p>“Mello, you sound like one of those bad cartoon witches. And you’re so loud, that I actually heard you through my headphones. Shut up.”</p><p>“Alright, alright,” Mello grumbled.</p><hr/><p>Near looked at Mello. Mello had been suspiciously smiley all day, not his usual cold self. Near wondered what was wrong.</p><p>“When’s (Y/N) coming in?” asked Near.</p><p>Mello’s grin widened, but Matt smacked him. “You’re acting hella sus, bro,” said Matt, lifting up his goggles, showing he was serious. “Like, even more sus that Light. What’s up with you?”</p><p>“Hey, don’t call me sus!” said Light. He opened his mouth, about to make a passionate speech, but L’s response was to simply spray him with a water spray, like a misbehaving cat. It was a new technique L had developed for whenever Light was being too inspiring, dramatic, passionate, or otherwise. It was remarkably effective.</p><p>Light shrunk back into his seat. “Ryuzaki…” he grumbled.</p><p>L’s response was to spray him again.</p><p>Mello cackled loudly.</p><p> </p><p>“Is he alright?” asked L in concern. “Has he been eating too much chocolate? Too less chocolate?”</p><p>“No idea-”</p><p>Mello cackled louder, until L spritzed him with water.</p><p>“Ah! L!” screamed Mello.</p><p>L blinked. “Ah, so this technique is also effective with Mello too. I must invest in more types of sprays, it could be helpful in solving the case, and in future investigations…”</p><p> </p><p>I had a sneaking suspicion that L just liked to spray people.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi. I’m here,” said (Y/N), walking in.</p><p>“Ah.” An uncharacteristically sober look settled itself on Mello’s face. “(Y/N). I need to show you something. Can you please come with me?”</p><p>(Y/N) nodded, and Mello escorted her to the next room. But not before shooting Near an insanity-filled grin.</p><p>Near felt a shudder run down his spine. <em>I swear if he does anything to her…</em></p><hr/><p>“AAAAAAAH!” An unholy shriek came from the next room. Near was about to run right there, until he heard the next words: “SO CUUUUUUUTE!”</p><p><em>No…it can’t be</em>, thought Near in horror. “Light, can you show us a feed of the room (Y/N) and Mello are in?” he asked urgently.</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, my, god, WHY DIDN’T YOU SHOW THIS TO ME BEFORE, MELLO! THIS IS A NATIONAL TREASURE!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Near ground his teeth.</p><p>
  <em>Mello…I can’t believe it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You’ve shown her my baby pictures.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Near,” said L, smiling, obviously getting a kick out of this. “Go do some damage control.”</p><p>Near frowned in displeasure but obliged all the same.</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) glomped him. “Near, you are too precious for this world!” she announced, her cheeks flushed-</p><p> </p><p>Oh my. Mello…he gave her something…not sure what it is…but it <em>is </em>making her act more daring than usual.</p><p> </p><p>Near blushed. He had never been in such close contact with a woman before, so it was only natural that he was uncomfortable.</p><p>“And your <em>hair! </em>It’s so soft! Just like Mello said! I’m so, <em>so, </em>jealous!” (Y/N) hugged Near closer to her chest and caressed his hair. “So <em>adorable!”</em></p><p>Near blushed even harder. His successor training hadn’t mentioned scenarios like this. For a moment, Near wished Mello didn’t exist. Then he wouldn’t be here right now…</p><p>“Can you let me go?” asked Near. Immediately, tears welled up in (Y/N) eyes.</p><p>“Waaah! My precious cinnamon roll hates me! I’m a horrible person! Waaah!” (Y/N) began crying and wailing like a child, far from her usually-mature persona.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I don’t hate you, (Y/N),” said Near, sighing in annoyance. "In fact, I rather like you."</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) blinked. “Really?”</p><p>“Yes. Now, what did Mello do to you?”</p><p>“He gave me this weird tasting chocolate…speaking of which…HUGS!” (Y/N) hugged Near. Mello started cackling. “C’mon, Near, hug back! Please?”</p><p>Near sighed.</p><p>He hugged back. “Yay!” squealed (Y/N).</p><p> </p><p><em>This feels like the beginning of something…</em>thought Near.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Matt: Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, Matt. What are you doing?” asked (Y/N).</p>
<p>“Playing video games. Wanna join?”</p>
<p>The smile that was on (Y/N)’s face flickered for a second before it re-plastered itself back on. “Sure!”</p>
<hr/>
<p>“MELLO!” shouted Matt. “COME HERE RIGHT NOW!”</p>
<p>“What?” asked Mello. Usually Matt was pretty laid-back, so this was unusual.</p>
<p>“WHERE ARE MY VIDEO GAMES?!” roared Matt into Mello’s face, Mello’s hair flying from the sheer force of his roar. “I KNOW YOU KNOW!”</p>
<p>“Jeez, no need to yell,” said Mello, taking a bite out of a chocolate bar. “You probably just kept them somewhere before forgetting about it, that’s all.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Matt took a deep breath. “You’re right, Mello. Sorry. Let me just get a ciga-” He reached into his pocket when his eyes widened in shock. “Mello. My…”</p>
<p>Mello took another bite of chocolate. “Good,” he said. “Those things cause cancer anyways…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Guys?” said (Y/N), peeking her head around the door. “I heard yelling…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Matt just lost his cigarettes and video games,” said Mello. “Nothing to panic about.”</p>
<p>“It is something to panic about!” screamed Matt. “All the stores are closed, I checked!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N) raised an eyebrow. “You could always just wait.”</p>
<p>Matt stopped panicking. “Wait?” He said the word like it tasted foreign.</p>
<p>“Yeah. It isn’t like <em>not </em>gaming or smoking would kill you or anything. You could do something else in the meantime.”</p>
<p>Matt blinked. And stared at (Y/N). “Wait…” he said, more thoughtfully. “Well…I suppose it’s an option…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mello sighed. (Y/N) smiled.</p>
<p>“There are so many things to do!” she said, smiling happily. “Come on! Let’s go!”</p>
<p>And thus Matt was whisked away…</p>
<hr/>
<p>“A café?” asked Matt.</p>
<p>“Yes, a café! It’s my favourite, I used to come here way back with my friends,” she said. “So, what do you want?”</p>
<p>“Um…you decide. Surprise me.”</p>
<p>“Ok, then.” (Y/N) told the waiter their orders.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The waiter came back a few minutes later with tea and some cake.</p>
<p>“Cake?” asked Matt. “What’s so special about cake?”</p>
<p>“Taste it.”</p>
<p>Matt obeyed. His eyes widened. “This is so good!”</p>
<p>“Yeah, isn’t it? It’s my favourite, actually.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Get me 20 more of these!” he hollered at the waiter. “Stat!”</p>
<p>(Y/N) smacked Matt. “Matt, don’t be rude!”</p>
<p>“But…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The waiter looked on and chuckled. He went to get more cake for the two.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Why are we at an amusement park?” asked Matt</p>
<p>“The rides are amazing! Which one?” asked (Y/N). “I can’t decide!”</p>
<p>“Maybe one of those haunted house ones…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They walked in through the entrance.</p>
<p>“This is probably going to be lame,” groaned Matt. “Why am I here?”</p>
<p>“You’re just scared,” said (Y/N).</p>
<p>“I am not!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The first one was a ghoul. It scared Matt so much that he actually shot it through the head. Thankfully, it was machine operated.</p>
<p>“Matt!” scolded (Y/N). “You just can’t use your gun like that! Someone could die!”</p>
<p>“It was freaky, ok?”</p>
<p>(Y/N) sighed. She took the gun. “I’m confiscating this.”</p>
<p>“What?! You aren’t allowed to do that!”</p>
<p>“Yes, I am!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eventually, when they went through the exit, (Y/N) was exactly how she was before, and Matt was a pale, sweating mess.</p>
<p>“Never again,” he said. “Never.”</p>
<p>"Wimp," said (Y/N), chuckling. Matt chuckled along with her.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“I found my video games!” said Matt, celebrating the next day. “Yes!”</p>
<p>(Y/N) chuckled. “Good for you, Matt.” Her tone was slightly bitter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Although, (Y/N), if you wanted to spend time with me, all you had to do was say. No need to hide my games.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N)’s eyes widened. “Wh-what are you talking about?”</p>
<p>“L told me. He saw it on the cameras.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) sighed. “And to think I went through the trouble of bribing him with candy. All for nothing…how childish of me...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not really.” Matt grinned at her. “I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can do something like this again.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) perked up. “Really?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) laughed with joy and hugged Matt. “Yes! There are so many things we can do!” She started talking on and on about said things, while Matt blushed.</p>
<p>“Well…I never thought I would be thankful that someone stole my video games…” muttered Matt in embarrassment. <em>“I guess there’s a first time for everything…”</em></p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p>
<p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Desire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>Desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.</p>
</div><p> </p><p>Higuchi’s desire for power was what ultimately lead him to his doom. He had money and power, but he wanted more, more, more.</p><p>Light’s desire for justice in his world, was, in a different time, what lead to his doom too; on that fateful day in the Yellowbox Warehouse.</p><p> </p><p>The desire of a Magical Girl is what lead her to her doom.</p><p> </p><p>What is it you know your heart desires?</p>
<hr/><p>“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” called out the Magical Girl, grinning and swinging her club around. “I know you’re hiding somewhere ‘round here, Ice Queen!”</p><p>“I don’t like that name,” said the girl, stepping out from the shadows. “Please call me (Y/N). <em>That</em> is my name.”</p><p>“You’re the resident Magical Girl in these parts, right?”</p><p>“Yes,” answered the girl.</p><p>“Then let’s have a duel, one on one!” The Magical Girl grinned. She had brown hair, held up in a ponytail. “Whoever wins gets to keep <em>your</em> territory!”</p><p> </p><p>“How old are you?” asked the girl abruptly.</p><p>“Fourteen!”</p><p>The girl narrowed her eyes. “You do realise that I am nineteen?”</p><p>“So?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl transformed into her Magical Girl outfit.</p><p> </p><p>The girl tilted her head to the side. “Shall we begin?”</p><p>The brown-haired girl grinned. “Hell yeah!”</p><p> </p><p>Immediately, the brown-haired girl tossed her club at the girl with a blinding speed, hitting her head.</p><p>“Ha!” she jeered as the girl clutched her head in pain. “Give in yet?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl narrowed her eyes, and threw one of her knives, but the brown-haired girl dodged it with ease. <em>I’m going to go easy on her. She’s one of those newbies who think that throwing their weight around will actually get them somewhere.</em></p><p> </p><p>The girl clapped her hands, and immediately the ground was covered with a slippery sheet of ice. The brown-haired girl slipped and fell onto the ground. The girl thrust out her hand, bindings of ice growing on the brown-haired girl, holding her down to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>The girl walked over to her. “If I were you, I would-”</p><p>Her eyes widened as the brown-haired girl broke out of the ice and took a swing at her with a club that appeared in her hands, narrowly missing her Soul Gem.</p><p>
  <em>Dammit! She’s serious!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The girl leapt onto the top of a building, and when she threw her daggers this time, she aimed to kill.</p><p>She ran, as fast as her legs could take her, simultaneously throwing her daggers, the brown-haired girl chasing her. The brown-haired girl shouted something, and boulders appeared out of nowhere, barrelling towards the girl. <em>She’s gaining on me. </em>The boulders exploded in the air into fireworks, bright against the dark of the night. As the exploded, the girl jumped, dodging clubs and boulders thrown at her mid-air.</p><p> </p><p>She gracefully landed right behind the brown-haired girl, and grabbed her waist, making her drop her club. The girl brought out a dagger, and held it to the brown-haired girl’s Soul Gem, which was on a choker tied around her neck.</p><p>“Do you want to live, or do you want to die?” asked the girl.</p><p>No answer. “Do you want to die?” asked the girl again, this time a little louder.</p><p>“N-No,” said the brown-haired girl.</p><p>“Then get out. And don’t come back. Do you understand?”</p><p>“I-I understand.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl pushed her away. “Goodbye. Have a nice day.”</p><p>She prepared to walk away.</p><p>“Wimp.”</p><p>
  <em>Whish.</em>
</p><p>A dagger sliced through the air, making a shallow cut on the brown-haired girl’s cheek.</p><p>“I’ll have you know, if you show your face again, I <em>will </em>kill you. Now go away and be thankful that I spared you. Other Magical Girls would have slaughtered you on the spot for barging into their territory like that.”</p><p> </p><p>The brown-haired girl ground her teeth, and obliged. But not before she heard some last words from the girl.</p><p>“Just so you know, you are a surprisingly good fighter. You’re the first person in a long time to give me a run for my money.”</p><p>The brown-haired girl turned around to see the Ice Queen smiling at her.</p>
<hr/><p>“(Y/N)!” scolded Misa. “You’ve got yourself hurt!” She dabbed medicine on the afflicted areas, making the girl wince. “At least <em>try</em> to stay out of territory fights! It scares me, ok?”</p><p>“Sorry, Misa,” said the girl guiltily. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”</p><p>“It’s all right,” sighed Misa. “At least you’re still here.”</p><p>The girl’s guilt grew.</p><p> </p><p>Right until she spotted Misa’s hand. A golden ring rested on one of her fingers. “Misa…what’s that ring?”</p><p>Misa blushed. “T-Teru gave it to me…”</p><p>“Are you-”</p><p>“No! I’m not engaged, it’s a gift! Completely normal!” said Misa, flustered.</p><p>“A pretty suggestive gift, if you ask me,” teased the girl.</p><p>Misa blushed even harder.</p><p> </p><p>The girl yawned and stood. “Looks like I’ll have to go home now. It’s pretty late.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Madoka, why do I come here?” asked the girl in Madoka’s apartment.</p><p>Madoka considered the question. “I think it is because you are meant to be here,” she answered carefully.</p><p>“Why am I meant to be here?” asked the girl. “And while we’re at it, how does Kira kill?”</p><p>“That’s…something I can’t answer.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl took a sip out of her cup. “That’s alright. Everyone has secrets.”</p><p>Madoka laughed. “Yes, that’s true.”</p><p>“But, I have one more question. My theories, about humans killed by Kira turning into Witches, are they true?”</p><p>“…yes.”</p><p>The girl went pale.</p>
<hr/><p>“Hey, did you see the news today?” asked Matsuda. “There were explosions above Tokyo…quite near to where you live, actually.”</p><p>“Yes. I didn’t see the explosions, though,” the girl lied. “I was at Misa’s house.”</p><p>“Yeah. How’s it going with her and Mikami?”</p><p>“Pretty well. She’s been smiling non-stop.”</p><p>“Same with Mikami, actually. Look.”</p><p>The two turned to a video feed of Mikami talking with Misa on his phone. He was laughing at something.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello.”</p><p>“Wah!” screamed the girl and Matsuda in unison, calming down when they saw it was just L.</p><p>“Ryuzaki, don’t scare me like that!” said the girl indignantly. “What do you want?”</p><p>“I just wanted your thoughts on the Yotsuba Eight. You spent quite a lot of time with them, after all.”</p><p>The girl shuddered. “Um…so most of them were actually quite polite, but Higuchi…well…let’s say I hope I never have to sit in close quarters with him again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ryuzaki, I’ve managed to contact the eight,” said Matt, furiously typing on his computer. “They’re starting to trust Eraldo, but they might want to meet up.”</p><p>“It was a pretty good idea to infiltrate Yotsuba as Coil, Matt,” Light remarked.</p><p> </p><p>The Yotsuba Eight had recently come into contact with Eraldo Coil and hired him to find out who L was. Of course, the only flaw with Yotsuba’s plan was that L <em>was </em>Eraldo Coil. So now Matt was going to try and trick the Eight into thinking he was <em>actually </em>going to catch L.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s all right, I’ve been anticipating this,” answered L. “You remember Aiber?”</p><p>“Yeah, I think we worked with him a few years ago. He was a con-man, right?” said Near, also working on a computer.</p><p>“Yes. I called him a few days ago, and he should be arriving soon.”</p><p> </p><p><em>“Ryuzaki, I have a call from Mello,” </em>said Watari from the computer.</p><p>“Put him through.”</p><p><em>“Ryuzaki,” </em>said Mello. <em>“I managed to sneak into Yotsuba easily. I should be able to plant the surveillance gear by Friday night.”</em></p><p>“Good,” said L. “Be sure to do so soon. Well done, Mello.” L cut the call.</p>
<hr/><p><em>“We’re all here, let’s begin the meeting,” </em>said Ooi, the bald guy with sunglasses. The girl could see the Shinigami hovering behind Higuchi.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s later than Matsuda said, but they’ve started the meeting…” said Light.</p><p>“My heart’s pounding!” cheered Matsuda. “They’re about to start the meeting I uncovered with my heroics.”</p><p>“With your stupidity,” said L, who was concentrating intently on the screen.</p><p>“But I only see seven of them,” pointed out Soichiro.</p><p>“Hatori died earlier this week,” said Near.</p><p>“And they’re all wearing black, so he was probably killed by Kira,” concluded Matt.</p><p><em>Thank goodness Hatori only had two boys, </em>thought the girl.</p><p> </p><p><em>“For the further advancement of the Yotsuba Group, who shall we kill?” </em>asked Ooi.</p><p>Soichiro and Light Yagami gaped in shock.</p><p>“See?!” exclaimed Matsuda.</p><p>The girl’s eyes narrowed slightly.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Before we get to that, there are a few issues we need to discuss. First, concerning Hatori’s death…” </em>said Ooi.</p><p><em>“It couldn’t be helped. Frankly, I’m glad that he died,” </em>said Namikawa, the man with the long, black hair.</p><p><em>“You’re relieved our comrade died?” </em>said the idiotic-looking one, Takahashi. <em>“What are you saying, Namikawa?</em></p><p><em>“It was necessary for Kira to show what will happen if any of us try to leave these meetings. I had been hoping for this to happen ever since Tuesday, when Hatori said he wanted out,” </em>answered Namikawa.</p><p><em>“…Yeah,” </em>said Ooi. <em>“I think you understand the meaning behind Hatori’s death. Keep that in mind for the future. Next, about the report we received from Eraldo Coil…”</em></p><p>They proceeded to discuss the report. The report said that the Japanese case had withdrawn from the Kira case, and that L was working alone. It also mentioned that L would probably not stop trying to catch Kira, and that it was believed that L entered Japan once he confirmed that Kira was in Kanto. But when they read the end of the report…</p><p><em>“Hold on, at the end of the report, Coil warns us not to treat L’s existence too lightly,” </em>said Ooi.<em> “Look where he says, ‘This pace, especially the concentration of killings beneficial to Yotsuba on Fridays and Saturdays could possibly be noticed by L.”</em></p><p><em>“You have to be impressed by Coil’s ability to figure out exactly what we’re doing,” </em>said Mido, the one with brown hair and glasses. <em>“We should spread the deaths out beyond just the weekend.”</em></p><p><em>“You think?” </em>said Higuchi. <em>“Coil figured out the client was Kida, and then investigated Yotsuba and uncovered this stuff, right? We’ve been very careful about how we’ve done things; nobody could have noticed it. L doesn’t even know that Kira can kill without using heart attacks, there’s no way he could make the connection.”</em></p><p><em>Idiot, </em>thought the girl.</p><p>“Idiot,” said Near and Matt in unison.</p><p>“This is amazing, it’s like they’re confessing to everything,” said Matsuda.</p><p>“Yeah, won’t we be able to arrest them all with this video?” said Soichiro.</p><p> </p><p>The Yotsuba Eight, or Seven, proceeded to talk a little more, deciding to hold a meeting every other week rather than every week, and eventually, they got to the elephant in the room.</p><p><em>“So…” </em>said Ooi. <em>“Who should we kill?”</em></p><p><em>“We must prevent E.L.F. Insurance’s entry into the Japanese market,” </em>said Mido. <em>“That will hurt not only Yotsuba, but many other companies as well.”</em></p><p><em>“It’s a U.S. company, so we could just kill off the important American figures involved with accidental death,” </em>added Kida, the man with black hair and glasses.<em> “Nobody would connect it to us in Japan, and it’s not like we’re the only company that would benefit.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“So we’ll kill these people from E.L.F. with accidents, agreed?” asked Ooi.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Agreed,” said everyone else in unison.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“What? That easily?” asked Light with a horrified expression on his face, which mirrored the one on his father’s.</p><p>The Yotsuba Seven also decided that Santaro Zenzai of the Kugisawa group would also die of a stroke.</p><p> </p><p>“So…” said the girl. “They’ve decided the deaths, but we can’t be sure they’re Kira until-”</p><p>“-the people aforementioned by these will die,” finished Near.</p><p>“So, we have to wait and watch the seven until the mentioned people die,” concluded L.</p><p> </p><p>“R-Ryuzaki!” shouted Light and Soichiro together.</p><p>“What is it? The two of you in unison…” said L.</p><p>“I can’t go along with your line of thinking, it’s wrong!” shouted Light.</p><p>“Yes!” shouted Soichiro.</p><p> </p><p>The girl felt an unexpected jolt of icy rage.</p><p> </p><p>“What did you expect?” stated the girl coldly. Everyone turned to look at her. “Ryuzaki doesn’t actually care about who dies and who lives.” Everyone, save for the successors and L looked confused. The girl sighed. “Ryuzaki’s reasoning is this: ‘I don’t care who gets hurt, and who is put in danger, as long as I can capture Kira with solid proof and win this battle of intelligence.’ People like me and you are considered as pieces on his and Kira’s stupid chessboard. The ultimate goal is to learn who the other truly is, and to execute him. Am I right, or am I wrong, Ryuzaki?”</p><p>The look she gave L chilled everyone to the bone.</p><p>L’s face remained impassive. “Completely right, (Y/N). I commend you on your deduction skills.”</p><p>The girl narrowed her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>She turned her head away and watched the Yotsuba Seven.</p><p>“Ryuzaki, we have to call one of them and stop the killings!” exclaimed Soichiro.</p><p>“If you do that, they’ll be suspicious when Aiber comes into contact with them as Eraldo Coil,” said L. “And besides-”</p><p>“We won’t be able to get evidence, we know, Ryuzaki,” said the girl. “As if we didn’t establish that a few minutes before.”</p><p>“How do you know evidence exists?” asked Soichiro.</p><p>“If there wasn’t evidence, Kira wouldn’t have killed Lind L. Tailor and the FBI agents. The fact that he did shows there is definitely evidence,” said Near.</p><p>“If we want to save them, then we’ll have to reveal we’re on to them,” said Matt. “Are you willing to risk that, Mr. Yagami?”</p><p>“I suppose we have no choice,” conceded L. “Saving lives is more important than catching Kira…”</p><p> </p><p>Light looked at the screen, and his eyes widened.</p><p>“Ryuzaki, what are the odds of hitting Kira if I were to call on of them?” he asked.</p><p>“One out of seven,” said the girl, staring at Higuchi and the Shinigami.</p><p>“I’ll take those odds,” said Light. “Ryuzaki, I’m going to borrow the name ‘L.’”</p><p> </p><p>Light quickly dialled Namikawa’s number.</p><p>“Is this Namikawa, the head of marketing for Yotsuba group?”</p><p><em>“It is,” </em>answered Namikawa.</p><p>“Listen closely without making a scene,” said Light. “I’m L.”</p>
<hr/><p>Light made a deal with Namikawa, delaying the killings by one month.</p><p> </p><p>But that didn’t matter much to the girl, to be honest.</p><p>Well, right until L spun around and asked Light, “How would you like to be L?”</p><p>Light blinked. “What are you saying, Ryuzaki?”</p><p>Everyone’s heads turned to Light.</p><p>“You could easily succeed me with your intellect-”</p><p>“Ryuzaki, you think Light is Kira, don’t you?” said the girl. “You think everything that’s happening now is all according to Light’s plan, and he’s set things up so that he’ll get his killing power and memories back. But the thing is, your accusations are just because you can’t handle the idea of being wrong. You’re just <em>obsessed </em>with the idea that Light is Kira.”</p><p>Light blinked. “Ryuzaki…is it true? That you think I’m Kira?”</p><p>“Correct.”</p><p>“Ryuzaki,” said Light. Light spun around L’s chair and held him by his shoulders. He looked L in the eye. “Do you think I’m a murderer? Do I look like that kind of person?”</p><p>L looked at Light in the eye. “That’s what I think, and that’s how you look.”</p><p> </p><p>L kicked Light, and Light punched L. Or well, they would have if the girl hadn’t come between them, taking the pain.</p><p>“Ah…” she whispered and held her face. “It hurts…”</p><p>“(Y/N)!”</p><p>“(Y/N)-san!”</p><p>Light reached out to help her, but she slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me!” she snapped. She realised where she was. “S-sorry…just…give me a minute…” She quickly walked away.</p><p> </p><p>“Well done,” said Near sarcastically, although he voiced the sentiment as monotonously as ever. “You just made (Y/N) (L/N)’s day worse.”</p><p>“Wh-what do you mean?” asked Light.</p><p>“Well…” Matt looked up. “Didn’t you notice?”</p><p>The blank looks on L and Light’s faces said otherwise.</p><p>Near sighed. “You’ve been concentrating on the Kira case, so I guess you wouldn’t. Her skin has been more pale than usual, and there are hints of bags under her eyes, indicating that she’s been losing sleep. I also noticed that she had quite a few injuries today, such as a bruise on her face. You hit her right where the bruises were, by the way.”</p><p>Matt blinked. “Near…you’ve been paying a lot of attention to (Y/N).”</p><p>“I haven’t been giving her more attention than everyone else. I just decided to voice my observations. Didn’t you also notice the same things, Matt?”</p><p>“Yes…but it was more in her voice. She seemed more stressed. Like Mello when he hasn’t been eating chocolate.”</p><p> </p><p>Light looked at L. “We should go apologise.”</p><p>Light nodded in agreement.</p>
<hr/><p>The girl fingered her dark Soul Gem as she sat on the chair in the room. <em>The fight last night must have taken more out of me than I thought. I have to be careful not to use more magic today. I’ll get a Grief Seed off Misa as soon as possible.</em></p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)!” said Light.</p><p>The girl hurriedly put away her Soul Gem.</p><p>“(Y/N)-san,” said L. “We’re here to apologise.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” she said. She sounded exhausted.</p><p> </p><p>“Your injuries, lack of sleep…what’s happening?” asked Light. “Whatever it is, we can help.”</p><p>“Light-kun is right,” added L. “We won’t be able to help you until you tell us what’s wrong.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing’s wrong,” the girl answered. “I’m fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was extremely irresponsible of us to fight,” said Light. “I’m sorry for hurting you!”</p><p>“Yes, Light-kun is right,” said L. “I sincerely apologise for the harm I have caused you as well.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl didn’t answer. “I’m-I’m just going to go home now.”</p><p>“Rest for today,” said L.</p><p> The girl stood up and walked away. Or at least, tried to.</p><p> </p><p>The last thing she saw before blacking out was the darkness swirling around in her Soul Gem.</p>
<hr/><p>Misa Amane cleared the darkness out of the girl’s Soul Gem as the girl lay on her bed, asleep.</p><p>“(Y/N), why do you have to do this?” Misa asked no one in particular. “You keep everything to yourself, and never tell anyone anything. I want to help you, but how can I do that when you don’t even want to help yourself?” Misa sighed. “Thank you for being so kind to me all these years, and working so hard to keep everyone safe, but it’s all right now. Rest.”</p><p> </p><p>Misa Amane stood up. It was time to kill Witches.</p>
<hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Question</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A question is a type of sentence in the English language, which allows a person to discover new information. In the case that a rhetorical question is used, it can be used to introduce a new idea, or make a point.</p><hr/><p>The girl woke up.</p><p>“Where…” she said, and she found a note beside her.</p><p><em>Gone for modelling work, </em>it said. <em>Told them you wouldn’t come in today. There’s food in the fridge. Take care!</em></p><p>
  <em>Misa-Misa </em>
</p><p>
  <em>;)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The girl quickly wrote a response.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Misa,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thanks a bunch. I’ve gone to work on the Kira case. Keep safe.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(Y/N)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She left, but not before taking the bento in the fridge.</p><hr/><p>“(Y/N)!” The girl was engulfed in a crushing hug. “Are you alright?”</p><p>Mello hurriedly checked her for any injuries and heaved a sigh of relief when he found none.</p><p>“When Near told me what happened, I was so worried!” Mello began to talk away in sentences the girl was unable to hear, due to the simple fact she wasn’t liste-</p><p>“(Y/N)?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“I just asked if you wanted to be part of our half.”</p><p>“Half?”</p><p>Mello raised an eyebrow. “The Kira investigation team has separated into two halves, one with Soichiro Yagami, Matsuda, and Mogi. The other half is the rest of us. We’re working under Ryuzaki.”</p><p>“But surely Light would want to work with his father?”</p><p>Mello shrugged. “Ryuzaki wouldn’t take the handcuffs off.”</p><p>The girl recalled what she said yesterday.</p><p> </p><p><em>‘You’re just </em>obsessed <em>with the idea that Light is Kira.’ That’s what I said yesterday, didn’t I? </em></p><p>
  <em>There is a reason why I’m not taking a side. They’re…I can’t say I think they’re right, but I can’t say they’re wrong either.</em>
</p><p><em>Maybe at one point, they </em>were <em>actually fighting for justice, but now, it’s become a battle for superiority.</em></p><p>
  <em>One that has horrific consequences.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What do-</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)? So do you want to join Ryuzaki, or the others?” asked Mello.</p><p>
  <em>The ‘others,’ as Mello labels them, are probably the only one who care about justice, save for Light of course, but he doesn’t count since he’s Kira.</em>
</p><p><em>Do </em>I<em> care about justice?</em></p><p><em>Do I even </em>believe<em> in justice?</em></p><p>
  <em>Should I even be here? Is there any meaning in being-</em>
</p><p>“Yes, I’ll join you.”</p><hr/><p>“Aiber should be arriving soon, and we should be able to start our plan of faking out Yotsuba,” announced L. “That is…if (Y/N)-san wishes to take part in it.”</p><p>All eyes on her.</p><p>Her gaze kept moving.</p><p> </p><p>L. His coal-black eyes were wide, and seemed to peer right through her.</p><p>Light. His doe eyes shone in the sunlight.</p><p>Mello. His icy blue eyes didn’t contain their usual harshness as he looked at her.</p><p>Near. His grey eyes betrayed no emotion.</p><p>Matt. His eyes were difficult to read through the goggles. Maybe that’s why he wore them.</p><p> </p><p>She agitatedly twisted her ring, her now clear Soul Gem twinkling in the light.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll help you,” she said. “That’s why I joined, after all. To catch Kira.” There was no enthusiasm in her words.</p><p>There’s no real point trying to solve a mystery when you already know all the answers.</p><p> </p><p>But the others didn’t share this sentiment, Light, Mello, and Matt breaking into large grins, while L and Near offered her small smiles.</p><p>“Great!” said Light. “Now we can put our plan into motion!”</p><hr/><p>Aiber was a handsome, foreign man, with blond hair, and blue eyes. He spoke Japanese with a slight French accent.</p><p>“Ryuzaki, it’s great to finally speak with you,” he greeted with a charming smile. “And all the familiar faces are here, I see. Mello, Matt, and Near!”</p><p>“Yes, it’s nice to meet you again, Aiber,” said Near.</p><p>“You must be Light Yagami,” he said shaking Light’s hand. He did not mention the handcuffs.</p><p> </p><p>Aiber’s eyes turned to the girl. He took in her cold expression, and her guarded gaze.</p><p>“And I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you before?”</p><p>“I’m (Y/N).” She said no more.</p><p>“(Y/N) is a talented actress,” said Near. “You shouldn’t have much trouble working with her.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Trouble? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Actress?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Ah…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I see…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Damn you, L, for making me the bait! </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>“It…it was all for nothing.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No! Someone…anyone…save her!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’LL END IT ALL NOW!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Kill me before I turn into a Witch, won’t you, (Y/N)?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m…I’m so sorry!”</em>
</p><hr/><p>“AAAAAH!” She woke up.</p><p>Panting. She looked around her room.</p><p>
  <em>It’s dark. Still night.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The more emotionless, analytical part of her observed the fact that her nightmares had come back.</p><p> </p><p>She stood up from her bed. <em>I…what…I need to go to the bathroom.</em></p><p> </p><p>Just her luck, the lights weren’t working. So she navigated her way through the dark.</p><p> </p><p>She splashed her face with water. As she switched off the tap, she looked into the bathroom mirror.</p><p>The lady in the mirror looked menacing, almost. She supposed that if she were anyone else, she would have jumped at her own reflection.</p><p>But the thought that popped into her head was, <em>Is this how my Witch would look like?</em></p><hr/><p>As Aiber rehearsed her words with the girl, she found herself constantly forgetting her lines; unnatural for her. Maybe it was the way everyone’s eyes were on her.</p><p> </p><p>L struck her on lightly the head once more.</p><p>“L!” shouted Light. “Don’t hit her!”</p><p>“(Y/N)-san, you are acting <em>completely </em>out of character. Try again,” L said through his cone.</p><p>“How can I act out of character? I am <em>literally </em>playing myself.”</p><p>“I don’t know. You’re probably the only person I have met to act so <em>terribly </em>as themselves.”</p><p>The girl’s gaze lowered a little. “Sorry.”</p><p>Mello glared at L.</p><p>L did not apologise. “(Y/N)-san, the success of our plan hinges on your acting ability. If Kira were to sense something off, he will kill you without a second thought.”</p><p>
  <em>Without second thought…</em>
</p><p>“Just let me improv, please?” she begged. “These lines…they don’t seem like <em>me.”</em></p><p>“…” L considered. “Alright. If you say so, (Y/N)-san.”</p><p> </p><p>So she improvised. Aiber stuck to his script, but she improvised.</p><p>L raised an eyebrow. “Good enough.”</p><hr/><p>Light carefully applied the girl’s makeup, preparing her for the interview with Yotsuba.</p><p>“So…” Light said, expertly blending the foundation her skin. “Are you nervous?”</p><p>“Nervous?” She was careful not to move too much.</p><p>“Light-kun is simply wondering why you are so composed in the face of the situation,” said L bluntly. “Since you are going to meet Kira, Kira now might kill you.”</p><p>“Death?”</p><p>“Yes, death,” L said. “Are you not afraid?”</p><p>Light didn’t stop L from asking. I suspected that he was curious as well.</p><p>“Death doesn’t scare me anymore,” she said easily. She figured that those words were a mistake, and they would bite her in the back some time later on.</p><p> </p><p>A pregnant silence overtook the room.</p><p> </p><p>Light went on putting on the girl’s makeup. They spoke no more.</p><hr/><p>Mogi was visibly stiff as he drove to Yotsuba.</p><p>“Mogi,” instructed the girl. “You want to act very enthusiastic and upbeat when we get to Yotsuba. That will help them to be a little less suspicious of us. And also, your actions <em>really </em>affect me too, since you’re my manager now, so be careful.”</p><p>“I-I will!” stammered Mogi.</p><p>The girl smiled. “But you don’t need to worry too much. If the worst happens, Kira will only kill me, not you, so you’re safe!”</p><p>Mogi went pale.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe…maybe I should improve my pep talks…</em>
</p><hr/><p>Their eyes were on her.</p><p>Kira. Kyosuke Higuchi.</p><p>And the Shinigami.</p><p> </p><p>And Aiber, and the rest of the Seven, but since now the girl knew who’s Kira, she didn’t really care anymore.</p><p> </p><p>Aiber began speaking.</p><p>The show began.</p><p> </p><p>“This is your first time meeting me, correct, Ms. (Y/N)? I’m John Wallace, a marketing advisor. Pleased to meet you.”</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you too.” The girl plastered a smile on her face, ignoring Higuchi’s and the Shinigami’s eyes boring into her. <em>I know Aiber’s lines by heart, but it’s the other four I need to be on guard for.</em></p><p>“Now, let’s get started. Ms. (Y/N), I want to be honest with you, we’ve pretty much decided that we’d like to use you as a spokesperson, but before we seal the deal, there’s just a few things we’d like to confirm…”</p><p>“What things?”</p><p>“We’ve done a little background check on you…we’ve heard about your mysterious disappearance...”</p><p>“I don’t see how thi-” she said agitatedly before being cut off by Aiber.</p><p>“Ms. (Y/N), perception is very important in the business world. The suspicious nature of your life…”</p><p>“I am not Kira, nor do I look up to them in any way.” Her voice was cold.</p><p>“Your close friend Misa Amane, her family was killed by a burglar, weren’t they? And though the criminal got off, he mysteriously died of a heart attack. Of course, this was well before Kira’s appearance, and you met Misa <em>after </em>his death, but I daresay you aren’t as <em>hostile </em>towards Kira as you say…indeed, there are some rumours on the internet that you <em>support </em>them...”</p><p> “Wh-what?” The girl inhaled deeply. <em>As if. </em></p><p>“And those brief rumours that nobody believed? ‘(Y/N) (L/N) was apprehended by L.’ Please tell us the truth concerning that. We know it’s rude, but we cannot have Kira as our spokesperson.”</p><p>The girl took a sharp breath and averted her gaze. “A-as you wish. I’ll tell you…everything. I was abducted and taken to a place…I was questioned, but I did not see who was questioning me, nor did I hear their real voice. It was disguised, like on television. They kept me there for a considerable amount of time, but released me after I was cleared of suspicion, paying me a large sum of money so I didn’t tell anyone…”</p><p>“Don’t worry. You can trust us.”</p><p>“Come on, how long is this going to be? It’s more like an interrogation than an interview,” said Higuchi. He stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.”</p><p>The girl’s eyes glinted with <em>something. </em>“Can I go too?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>She stood up and walked to the bathroom.</p><hr/><p>The girl took out a tube of lipstick and applied it to her lips, pausing for a second when the Shinigami passed through the bathroom wall. She went on applying her lipstick, then capped the tube and placed it in a small clutch purse. She turned around to look at the Shingami.</p><p>The Shingami spoke. “What are you thinking, Puella Magi?”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Bonus Chapter: Yandere</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Shinigami Realm was a barren place. Rem fancied that once upon a time, before she had risen, that it had been what the humans had called ‘The Garden of Eden,’ a paradise, until Adam and Eve were cast out, all life draining from the Garden when they left. It made the place feel a little more…romantic. Well, as romantic as a wasteland scattered with bones and rocks can be.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, but the Human World…it didn’t need such silly tales to be romantic.</p><p> </p><p>Rem didn’t often peek from the Shinigami Realm into the Human World, but when she did, it never failed to take her breath away. The glowing of the streetlamps, the tall buildings, the greenery, the colour, <em>everything. </em>The humans that inhabited it seemed to vibrate with energy, emotion, life, everything Rem was not.</p><p>Whenever Rem looked to the Human World, she would briefly wish to look a little longer, before the more rational part of her reminded her that fascination was inappropriate for a Shinigami.</p><p>Rem sometimes wondered that, if she slept, would she dream of the Human World?</p><p> </p><p>That day, Rem noticed that her lifespan was running low, and decided it was about time she wrote a few names in her Death Note.</p><p> </p><p>She walked over to the viewing portals and looked for someone to kill.</p><p> </p><p>A boy first caught her eye, but his lifespan was noticeably short, hardly enough for Rem to bother, so her eyes fell on his girlfriend instead. But she was a no-go too, as Rem saw that the name floating above her head was encompassed of strange runes, and her lifespan was missing entirely.</p><p>Rem took a moment to pity the Magical Girl, then moved on.</p><p> </p><p>She eventually wrote down a few names, gaining some years, and prepared to leave.</p><p>Right until she saw Gelus.</p><p> </p><p>Gelus was a Shinigami, like Rem. He was one of the lower-ranked ones, so Rem was surprised to see him there. She figured Gelus would decide to waste away and die out of sheer boredom like many others, but apparently, she was wrong.</p><p> </p><p>Rem decided to indulge in her curiosity for a bit. “Hey…what are you doing?”</p><p>No response. Gelus was staring at a portal, the portal to the Human World.</p><p>Rem wondered why Gelus wasn’t writing any names if he was looking into the Human World, so she decided to look too.</p><p> </p><p>Gelus was looking at a young boy. He wore glasses, had pale skin, and black hair.</p><p>His name, Rem read, was Teru Mikami.</p><p> </p><p>He was being beat up by four boys, shouting ugly words that Rem shuddered at. <em>Humans, </em>she thought. <em>So disgusting. </em>It was at times like these she was glad to be a Shinigami.</p><p> </p><p>Her gaze turned to Gelus, about to ask his opinion, when she saw him shaking in visible rage.</p><p>The realization hit her like a rock.</p><p> </p><p>“Gelus…it’s not appropriate for a Shinigami to love a human,” she said.</p><p>“…Is it?” he answered in that soft voice of his, his eyes still trained on Teru. “If so, I don’t care.”</p><p>Rem briefly recalled something humans said, about love conquering all. At the time, she had thought the statement to be a bit silly, but right now, she was inclined, just a little, to believe it.</p><p>“You’re shaking,” Rem observed.</p><p>“Yes, I am,” said Gelus.</p><p>“Why? They aren’t going to kill him. His lifespan says so.”</p><p>“They’re hurting him. He’s in pain,” said Gelus. This was true, Rem could see the agony in Teru’s face. “They do more to him, you know. They’ve hung him from a tree. They’ve stripped him naked. It makes me…Rem, it’s hard to describe, but it makes me feel red-hot, like the flames of a pyre…”</p><p>“It must be what the humans call ‘anger.’ The poets say that it’s like a fire. Well, they say the same thing about love too, so I’m not that sure.” Honestly, Rem couldn’t understand why they didn’t just decide and move on.</p><p> </p><p>Rem and Gelus watched on as Teru walked home from school.</p><p> </p><p>Teru’s mother greeted him, saying, “Welcome home, Teru. How was your day?”</p><p>“Crap,” responded Teru. “Utter crap.”</p><p>Teru’s mother frowned, and gasped. “Teru…you’re hurt! Darling, did you get into another fight-” she reached out to touch him, but he slapped her hand away.</p><p>“I’m fine!” he snapped. He blinked, realising what he did. “I…I have to go change…” He went inside.</p><p> </p><p>His mother stared after him, a worn expression on her face. She pinched her brow. “What am I going to do with you…” she mumbled.</p><hr/><p>Teru tentatively ate his food, avoiding eye contact with his mother.</p><p>His mother was the same as before, though, with a bright smile on her face. “You’re not hungry today?”</p><p>Teru shook his head.</p><p>His mother took his plate, and walked to the sink, putting his plate away.</p><p> </p><p>“Mom, I’m sorry!” blurted Teru. “I didn’t mean to, I swear!”</p><p>His mother sighed. “Teru…you know that I only want what’s best for you, right?”</p><p>“Y-yes.”</p><p>“Then darling, please, listen…” Teru’s mother walked over to Teru, and grasped his hands in hers. “Please…stop fighting…” Tears ran down her cheeks. “It hurts me to see you hurt, so please…”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Teru stood up, and walked away, leaving his mother.</p><hr/><p>Teru sat on his bed. “No one believes in me…” he murmured. He looked hollow. Teru sighed. “Might as well go to sleep.”</p><p> </p><p>And so he did, and only when he turned out the lights did Rem realise just how long she had been looking.</p><p>She turned to Gelus. But stared in shock as Gelus took out his Death Note and raised his pen. “Gelus…” said Rem in a warning tone.</p><p>Gelus didn’t listen. “I’ll need to make it look unsuspicious…” he muttered to himself as he wrote. “I don’t want to scare Teru…accidents, maybe?”</p><hr/><p>The four boys were dead.</p><p>Teru’s mother was dead.</p><p> </p><p>Teru stared at his mother’s grave in shock, tears streaming down his face. “H-how…” he mumbled to himself. “I…But…”</p><p>
  <em>How?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why did she die?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why did they die?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>God? Could this be punishment from God…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But…she didn’t do anything wrong…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>If she didn’t do anything wrong, why did God punish her?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>If God punished them…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It must mean that they were unjust.</em>
</p><hr/><p>For the next few years, this was how it went. Gelus watched over Teru, like a guardian angel, ironically, and made sure he was happy. And if anyone did anything to hurt Teru and his happiness…God forbid that they live a week longer.</p><p> </p><p>Rem had trouble figuring out what was happening with Gelus, until a word from human literature popped up in her head. Yandere.</p><p>That was what Gelus was, decided Rem. Gelus was a yandere.</p><p> </p><p>Teru Mikami was much older now…twenty-three, Rem estimated. And when she saw his lifespan…</p><p>“Today’s his day,” she observed.</p><p>“I don’t understand,” murmured Gelus softly. “He looks so healthy…”</p><p> </p><p>A man with a knife appeared out of nowhere. “Die!” he screamed and lunged and Teru.</p><p>“Stabbed to death…” said Rem. “What a way to go. Gelus?”</p><p> </p><p>Honestly, Rem wasn’t surprised when Gelus raised his pen. Not in the least. Gelus had killed for much less.</p><p>It didn’t surprise her when Gelus started dissolving either.</p><p> </p><p>Gelus shuddered as he turned into something, something that was neither sand, nor rust.</p><p>Rem looked on impassively as Gelus died.</p><p> </p><p>All that was left of Gelus was his Death Note.</p><p> </p><p>Rem prepared to leave, but somehow…she couldn’t.</p><p>Perhaps it was a sense of friendship that led her to pick up Gelus’ Death Note.</p><p>Perhaps it was a sense of curiosity that lead her to spread her wings.</p><p> </p><p>Rem never really knew what had made her fly through that portal to the Human World. But whatever it was, she thanked it.</p><p>For it had led her to Teru.</p><p>It had led her to love.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Marraige</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The girl spoke.</p><p>“I should be the one asking that question, Shinigami.”</p><p> </p><p>The Shinigami narrowed her single eye. “What are you thinking, Puella Magi?” she repeated. “You already know who Kira is. You have no further reason to be here.”</p><p>“I do, actually.”</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“You are aware of the Kira Task Force, yes? Along with Light Yagami, the original Kira, I happen to be a part of it.”</p><p>“That isn’t your motive, Puella Magi. If you truly wanted to catch Kira, then you would have turned in Light Yagami and Teru Mikami a long time ago or eliminated them yourself. Even now, it would be an easy task for you to kill Higuchi.”</p><p> </p><p>“…You’re right.” The girl smiled languidly. “I have no interest in catching Kira. Stopping the deaths, however, is a different story.”</p><p>“…What do you mean?”</p><p>“You go first, Shinigami. Since we’re both here, we may as well exchange stories. And while we’re at it, tell me how Light and Mikami killed those criminals. I’ve been <em>dying </em>to know.”</p><hr/><p>“Death Notes…how curious,” the girl remarked after the Shinigami finished her story, recounting the time from when she saw Gelus die to her meeting Higuchi. “I knew quite a bit about Shinigami before meeting you, but I didn’t know their method of killing involved notebooks…say, Shingami, do you have a name?”</p><p>“Yes. My name is Rem.”</p><p>The girl smiled. “Well, Rem, my name is (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N).”</p><p>“Now that I’ve finished, it’s your turn,” said Rem</p><p> </p><p>“…alright, then. I first encountered Shinigami when I met Light Yagami at college. I saw his Shinigami and freaked out. I later found out from the Incubator that a Shingami was following Kira. I also managed to confirm that the people who are killed by the Death Note are turned into Witches. You <em>are </em>aware of Witches, right?”</p><p>“Yes. Although I had never realised those killed by the Death Note turn into Witches.” Rem didn’t seem to care.</p><p>“I have another question for you. Do you care for Mikami?”</p><p>“Yes. I will gladly die for Mikami. I will do anything for his happiness.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl’s eyes glinted. “Rem, it looks like we share a common goal.”</p><p> </p><p>“…What do you mean, (Y/N) (L/N)?”</p><p>“Teru Mikami is currently in a romantic relationship with my fellow Magical Girl Misa Amane. She is hopelessly in love, and from what I’ve seen of Mikami, this is true for him as well. It’s in our common interests to keep Mikami safe. So let’s make a deal. You help me, I help you.”</p><p>“Help you with what?”</p><p>“My plan, of course. Do you really want Mikami to regain his memories and become Light’s slave once more? He’s perfectly happy how he is now, and if you go along with my plan, he’ll stay blissfully ignorant.”</p><p>“…I suppose from what you’ve told me, he seems happy,” murmured Rem. “Very well. I’ll help you.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s been nice talking to you, Shinigami Rem. Good memories and nightmares.”</p><p>“You too, Puella Magi (Y/N) (L/N). May fortune serve you well.”</p><p>And with that, Rem walked through the wall once more.</p><hr/><p>The rest of the interview went by smoothly, with no issues.</p><p> </p><p>Mogi and the girl entered the room in headquarters.</p><p>“Everything is good,” reported the girl. “No one is sus- oh, I shouldn’t be saying that in front of Matsuda…”</p><p>“It’s all right, we’ve joined up again,” said Matt.</p><p>The girl sighed. “Jeez, it’s like watching a romance drama with you guys. ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ Just <em>decide</em> if you want to work together or not.”</p><p>“…That’s actually a good idea,” said Mello. “Things would be more consistent, and easier, but…”</p><p>“Ryuzaki,” said Near, basically summing up the whole situation.</p><p> </p><p>“So now, I have to interrogate each one of-”</p><p>“No, that’s been cancelled,” said L.</p><p>“We’re going to deny that you were ever interrogated by L. Mogi will just be your bodyguard, and you will just be an actress. It’s too dangerous.”</p><p>“…Ok, it’s getting so inconsistent it’s not even funny anymore. When will you guys just <em>decide?”</em></p><p>“I think it’s for the best,” said Mello, looking at her. “You’ve been put through enough. A girl like you should go out and have fun, not be put in constant danger.”</p><p>The girl’s eye twitched. <em>“Excuse me?” </em></p><p>“It was an unanimous vote, except for me and Near,” said Matt, shrugging sheepishly. “Sorry.”</p><p>“Mello, did you vote for-”</p><p>“-keeping you safe?” he interrupted. “Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl briefly checked herself out on a reflective surface, trying to figure out exactly what part of her screamed <em>must be protected at all costs. </em>She came up with zilch.</p><p>
  <em>Ok…we’re probably talking sexism now. Yay.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She took a deep breath. “Alright. I will respect your wishes and go along with your plan. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”</p><p>Only Near caught the cunning gleam in her eye as she left.</p><p> </p><p>Near started playing with his finger puppets, and stared at the puppet of the girl. The ‘KIRA’ on it had long since been rubbed off, instead being replaced by a ‘(Y/N).’</p><p><em>She’s planning something, </em>Near thought. <em>I believe that she more than intends to go against the plan.</em></p><p>
  <em>Whatever it is she wants to do, I do not need to worry. (Y/N) (L/N) is more than capable of handling herself.</em>
</p><hr/><p>The next day, Aishi Hyde had tied Taro up and threatened him.</p><p>“J-Jekyll-san, what are you doing?” stammered Taro.</p><p>“My name is not <em>Jekyll. </em>It is Aishi Hyde. SAY IT!” she screamed with a crazed look on her face, pointing a knife to his throat. “SAY MY NAME!”</p><p>“A-Aishi.”</p><p>Aishi Hyde smiled. “Good boy.”</p><p> </p><p>“And…cut! Good job!”</p><p> </p><p>The girl walked over to Mogi and Misa. “That’s it for the day…oh wait, here Nakamura, catch!” She tossed the knife to an assistant, the assistant bumbling while attempting to hold it safely.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey guys, I can borrow the bathrooms at the To-Oh’s Medical University Hospital, right?”</p><p>“Yep!” answered Misa.</p><p>“See you.” The girl stalked off.</p><p> </p><p>The girl walked into the bathroom, and brought out the outfit she had kept in her bag. “Now…bait and switch.”</p><hr/><p>“Higuchi? It’s (Y/N). I’m at the women’s college.”</p><p>
  <em>“So you were serious in that email earlier? Great, I’m on my way.”</em>
</p><hr/><p>A flashy car drove up the road, with a loud <em>vroom.</em></p><p>“Cool car,” complimented the girl.</p><p>“You like it?” answered Kyosuke Higuchi. “You can ride in it all you want, babe. Hell, I’ll even buy you one! Nice touch with the nurse’s outfit by the way, (Y/N).”</p><p>The girl laughed delicately. “You like it?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl climbed into the passengers seat, quickly buckling her seat belt.</p><p>“Where do you want to go?” asked Higuchi.</p><p>“Just get on the freeway,” answered the girl.</p><p>“Sure.” And with that, Higuchi and the girl drove away.</p><hr/><p>“Misa, I’m getting worried,” said Mogi. “Can you check in on (Y/N)?”</p><p>Misa briefly went in, and stayed there a while, making a show of looking for the girl. She knocked on a random cubicle.</p><p>“(Y/N)-chan? Are you all right in there?...Alright, Misa will tell Motchi.”</p><p> </p><p>Misa walked back to Mogi. “(Y/N)’s having…girl problems.”</p><p>“O-Oh…” said Mogi in understanding.</p><p> </p><p>Misa figured that she had a little more time before Motchi started smelling a rat.</p><hr/><p>“So, how about some dinner?” asked Higuchi with a leer on his face.</p><p>“Sure but take me somewhere…classy. Not anywhere weird. But then again…” The girl smiled languidly. “I’ll be alright, since anyone who tries something on me will drop dead on the spot.”</p><p>Higuchi laughed. “Funny thing to say, babe.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s only natural, Higuchi. Especially since I am the Second Kira.”</p><p> </p><p>Higuchi laughed again, a bit more nervously. “Well, L <em>did </em>suspect you.”</p><p>“L’s a fool. He let me go in the end.”</p><p>Higuchi laughed again, a strained laugh. “You don’t have to lie, I’m quite the gentleman.”</p><p>“It’s the truth, Higuchi. But you don’t have to believe me. I only need Kira to believe me. Kira…” A starry look came in the girl’s eyes. “Kira is my hero. If only you were Kira, Higuchi. Then I’d marry you on the spot.”</p><p> </p><p>The car screeched to a stop as Higuchi parked it on the side.</p><p>“…Why don’t you go ahead and kill someone, (Y/N)?” The girl cringed upon hearing her name fall from Higuchi’s lips. “I might be Kira, you never know.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl smiled. <em>Someone has to be killed, and turned into a Witch, but hopefully this will help my plan to succeed. </em>“Alright, then. But I only punish the wicked. Do you know a wicked person, Higuchi?”</p><p>“A bad person…let’s see…” Higuchi brought out a laptop, and quickly typed into it. “Ginzo Kaneboshi, big time loan shark. He’s famous for committing vile acts in order to collect money. Wicked enough for you, babe?”</p><p>“Sure. But can you tell if he dies immediately?”</p><p>“Yeah, I know. I’d just have to call up one of his bodyguards.”</p><p>“Alright then. Look away. No peeking!”</p><p> </p><p>Higuchi obliged. The girl figured he would try and look later on, but that wouldn’t compromise anything, thankfully. She gave Rem a brief, knowing, look.</p><p>The girl made a big show of bringing out a pen and writing something down. <em>Rem, you know what to do. Write Ginzo’s name down and kill him! </em>“Alright, Kaneboshi should be dead in three, two, one.”</p><p> </p><p>Higuchi opened his eyes and dialled a number in his cellphone.</p><p>“This is Higuchi from Yotsuba,” he said.</p><p>
  <em>“Sorry, the boss just collapsed…call me back later!”</em>
</p><p>The call ended.</p><p> </p><p>The girl cautiously looked at Higuchi.</p><p>Higuchi lunged towards her. “So you’ll marry me if I’m Kira?!” he yelled.</p><p>“If you were Kira, then yes,” said the girl.</p><p>“Then marry me!”</p><p>“Why should I do that?”</p><p>“Because I’m Kira!”</p><p>“Prove it.”</p><p> </p><p>The excited look on Higuchi’s face faded. “Well…I can’t kill unless I go home. You understand, right?”</p><p>“I’m afraid that’s no good. I can’t come with you. Someone like me can never be too careful.”</p><p>“But…”</p><p>“If you really want to prove it so badly…stop the killings. Then start them up again when I tell you to. If you are Kira, then it should be an easy enough task for you.”</p><p>“Alright…Since I’m Kira, I’ll halt the killings. And when you realize that I’m Kira, you’ll marry me, (Y/N) (L/N).” <em>When fat pigs fly, Higuchi. When fat pigs fly. </em></p><p>“Hm…we’ll see, Higuchi. Oh, and be careful not to email me about it or anything, just in case. It’s best to discuss it in person.”</p><p>“Good idea, babe.”</p><hr/><p>The girl casually walked into headquarters, and observed how everyone was gaping at her. “Missed me?” she asked.</p><p>“You IDIOT!” exclaimed Mello. “How could you do that?”</p><p>“Mello’s right!” shouted Light. “We agreed on a plan, and you were supposed to stick to it!”</p><p> </p><p>The girl sighed dramatically. “Ah…it’s seems like you’re all angry at me. Looks like I’ll have to tell you who’s Kira another time…” She trailed off. “Well, bye.”</p><p>“You know who Kira is?” asked Near and L in unison.</p><p>“How?!” shouted Mello.</p><p>“Why are you guys so surprised?” asked Matt. “I mean, she <em>is </em>a genius.”</p><p>“Tell us!” shouted Light. “Tell us who he is.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl gave them a conniving smile. “Open up your ears, and <em>listen, </em>boys, because Kyosuke Higuchi is the Yotsuba Kira!”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Cutlery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>The girl played Higuchi’s confession on her cell phone.</p>
</div><p>After it ended, she quickly said, “Just so you know, he thinks I’m the Second Kira.”</p><p>“This solves everything!” cheered Matsuda. “If Higuchi’s Kira, the killings will stop, and if the killings stop, no more people will die! You’re amazing, (Y/N)!”</p><p>The girl smiled. “Thank you, Matsuda.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you actually promise to marry Higuchi if he was Kira?” asked Mello, grabbing the girl by her shoulders.</p><p>“Yes. I thought you’d figure it out from the audio…”</p><p>“But you can’t get married to <em>Higuchi!” </em>yelled Mello. He started pacing around. “What to do, what to do...”</p><p>“Calm down, Mello, she isn’t married yet,” called out Matt playfully. “You still have time-”</p><p>“Shut up!” shouted Mello, blushing furiously.</p><p> </p><p>Light sighed exasperatedly. “(Y/N), if Higuchi isn’t Kira, he’ll just bring it up in the meeting and we’ll know nothing!”</p><p>
  <em>Ay crap, he’s right…I’m such an idiot…think, (Y/N), think, how to save the situation…</em>
</p><p>“Well…if Kira’s Higuchi, then he’ll stop the killings without telling anyone. Even if he mentions it in the meeting, Kira probably won’t act on Higuchi’s request anyway,” the girl suggested.</p><p>“And if Kira accepts Higuchi’s request, it probably means Kira is Higuchi,” said Near.</p><p>“See, it wasn’t a terrible plan after all!” said the girl smugly.</p><p>“Actually…” started Matt. “You’re right. I mean, it’s not like any of <em>us </em>could have done this, right? Honestly, I don’t think we appreciate you enough.”</p><p>“Thanks!” said the girl, grinning.</p><p> </p><p>“Anyway, trivial matters aside, one thing is clear,” said L. “Higuchi has the power of Kira.”</p><p>“We can’t celebrate yet, Ryuzaki,” said Light. “We still don’t know how Kira kills.”</p><p>“Then we’ll find out,” said Near easily.</p><p>“How can we do that if the killings stop, sheep?” said Mello, agitated.</p><p>“Mello, play nice!” scolded Matt.</p><p>“No, I will not play nice!” snapped Mello. “At this rate, (Y/N) will be killed!”</p><p>“So we’ll have to capture Kira before that happens,” said the girl, shrugging.</p><p> </p><p>L suddenly twisted his head towards the girl. “How did you get Higuchi to think you were the Second Kira?”</p><p>“I lied. Duh,” said the girl. “We agreed that if he proved he was Kira, then I would prove that I was the Second Kira, and that he would marry me.”</p><p>“That seems kind of a stretch to me…” said L.</p><p> </p><p>“L, how about we put a Higuchi in a situation where he <em>has </em>to reveal how he kills?” suggested Near.</p><p> </p><p>“…” L mulled it over. “Mello. Please, can you share your progress on the task I gave you?”</p><p>“Well…” said Mello. “Me and Watari have been able to track the Seven inside Yotsuba, but outside is practically impossible.”</p><p>“How about if we just focused on Higuchi?”</p><p>“Higuchi…Oh my god, don’t even get me started on that guy!” Mello violently took a bite out of his chocolate bar. “I swear, if you looked up ‘paranoid’ in the dictionary, there’d be a picture of him in the definition. Him along with Mido and Namikawa have the most serious security out of the Seven. He’s even built an underground room that blocks out electronic waves! It took me two days <em>straight </em>to break in. I ran out of chocolate at the start of day two too!”</p><p>“L, it shouldn’t be possible to transmit audio or video from there, but we can sneak in devices and take them back later,” said Matt.</p><p>“I see…” said L. “Then attach cameras and listening devices to Higuchi’s cars.”</p><p>“Seriously L? All six of them?” asked Mello.</p><p>“Yes please.”</p><p> </p><p>“And Light-kun…there’s been something that’s been bothering me, so…I’m just going to straight out ask. Do you remember how to kill?”</p><p>“I won, guys!” cheered Matt. “Fork over!”</p><p>Mello groaned, and handed over some paper bills to Matt. Near did the same, but impassively.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone looked at the successors.</p><p>“I put a bet that L would ask Light how he killed. And as you see, I was right!” said Matt.</p><p>“Oh, oh, I bet 500 that L will imprison Light again!” shouted Matsuda.</p><p>“1000 that he won’t!” shouted Matt.</p><p>“I’m not betting anymore,” said Near. “I don’t want to use up all my money.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl pinched her brow. <em>“Again, </em>Ryuzaki? You know, there is a <em>limit </em>to how much of this I can take, you know. Let’s just focus on Higuchi for now. Now…are you going to think up a plan, or not?”</p><hr/><p><em>Everything is in place, </em>thought the girl as the Kira segment started. <em>Let the show begin.</em></p><p>It took a phone call to Namikawa to get Higuchi to watch Sakura. During which Light screwed up a bit, he managed to let slip that he suspected Higuchi to be Kira.</p><p>But trivial things aside, Higuchi was watching now.</p><p> </p><p>To be honest, the girl tensed up a bit when Matsuda’s face was shown, but she figured that Higuchi wouldn’t trade for the eyes, since he thought the Second Kira was working with him.</p><p>She would have to pray that things wouldn’t go wrong afterwards, though.</p><p> </p><p>Her cell phone rang. It chirped out a little ringtone that Misa had picked out for her ages ago.</p><p><em>“Ryuzaki, Higuchi has just called Mogi-san’s phone,” </em>informed Watari.</p><p>“Yes, as expected,” said L.</p><p> </p><p>The girl briefly took a moment to appreciate the way L and Light managed to manipulate those around them with such ruthless efficiency. It honestly reminded her of the Incubator, to an extent, save for the fact that they were so emotionally invested.</p><p>They lied a lot too, that was another thing that was different. And the Incubator…</p><p>Every word that the girl had heard spill out of the Incubator’s mouth was the truth.</p><p>That was what made It so terrifying.</p><p> </p><p>As Higuchi talked to Mogi (who was talking back as ‘Motchi’) Light said, “It’s going so perfectly it’s scary.”</p><p>“Let’s be happy, not scared, Light-kun,” said L.</p><p> </p><p>The girl also noticed another thing about those two, L and Light; they loved playing the Chessmaster.</p><p>Honestly, the girl found chess to be a rather boring and tedious game.</p><p> </p><p>Higuchi called the Yoshida Production’s President. <em>“This is Higuchi from Yotsuba. This Taro Matsui, that isn’t his real name?”</em></p><p>“He’s panicking,” observed Near.</p><p><em>“What’s his real name?” </em>shouted Higuchi.</p><p> </p><p>Higuchi and the President talked some more, then Higuchi ended the call.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s finally started to move,” said the girl, looking at the map on the screen. One of Higuchi’s cars was represented as a symbol on the map, moving towards the Yoshida Productions Office.</p><p><em>“I’m following Higuchi,” </em>informed Mello. <em>“He’s only carrying a bag.” </em>Mello, discovered the girl, was surprisingly efficient at field work. Or so that’s what everyone told her.</p><p> </p><p>The interview at Sakura dragged on and on. <em>This is why I don’t watch Sakura, </em>thought the girl. <em>I’m pretty sure my IQ would lower from watching it.</em></p><p>“I want speaker one on Higuchi’s car, and speaker two on Sakura TV,” L ordered. “Volume 70 for number one, and 30 for number two.”</p><p>“Higuchi’s glued to the TV even while driving,” observed Light.</p><p>“Here’s hoping he doesn’t get into an accident,” Matt joked. “It’s dangerous to watch and drive. Believe it, once, I ran over some lady’s cat.”</p><p>The girl frowned. “Not funny, Matt. Not funny at all.”</p><p>“Jeesh,” muttered Matt.</p><p> </p><p>Blah, blah, blah, said the people at Sakura. I couldn’t be bothered to listen, until Higuchi said, <em>“Rem…what do you think?”</em></p><p><em>“What do I think?” </em>responded Rem.</p><p>“Rem? Who’s that?” asked Light. “He went in there alone…is there a radio there?”</p><p>“No,” responded L. “Mello would have found it.”</p><p><em>“You think his resume will be at Yoshida Productions?” </em>asked Higuchi.</p><p>“Well…maybe he’s finally lost it,” suggested the girl.</p><p>“That’s not a too far-fetched idea,” said Near.</p><p> </p><p><em>“How would I know that?” </em>asked Rem.</p><p><em>“He wouldn’t have gone on Sakura without destroying all records of his name,” </em>said Higuchi. <em>“Well, if he was smart, anyways. What if the resume has another fake name?”</em></p><p><em>“But if he knows you are Kira, your name will be announced,” </em>said Rem. <em>“That is fact. If you go and don’t find his name, too bad, but if you do, then he’ll be dead, and you won’t be suspected. You have nothing to lose.”</em></p><p><em>“I know that…but after that, I should kill who I talked on the phone at Yoshida, and (Y/N).” </em>Rem’s eye visibly narrowed when she heard the girl’s name slip out of Higuchi’s mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Who’s Rem?” asked Light. “Who’s he talking to?”</p><p>“If he is talking to someone…” intoned L. “A Shinigami, perhaps?” L took a bite out of a banana.</p><p><em>“How about returning the notebook to me?” </em>asked Rem.</p><p><em>“No, that won’t end well…” </em>said Higuchi. <em>“He has evidence, and if you compare Yotsuba’s growth to the killings…whoever he says is Kira will be Kira. Even if I somehow escaped the allegations…my life would be over.”</em></p><p><em>You’re more alive than you think, Higuchi, </em>thought the girl.</p><p> </p><p>Her phone rang again.</p><p>“He’s arrived,” said L. “Matt, have all the screens show the Yoshida Productions cameras.”</p><p>The clicks of buttons.</p><p> </p><p><em>Higuchi…you’re going to bring out your Death Note, aren’t you? </em>Higuchi ruffled through the files.</p><p><em>“Ryuzaki, we’re prepared to jump Higuchi anytime. Just give us the word,” </em>said Mogi.</p><p> </p><p>Higuchi wrote the name.</p><p> </p><p>A blur of movements, theories, conclusions.</p><p> </p><p>Higuchi stepped into his car.</p><p>Forty seconds. <em>“Damn it!” </em>shouted Higuchi. <em>“He isn’t dying!”</em></p><p> </p><p>The ring of the girl’s phone. The voice of an answering machine.</p><p><em>“Rem…” </em>said Higuchi. <em>“I make the trade.”</em></p><p>A grin. Higuchi’s grin.</p><p> </p><p><em>“You there! Stop immediately!” </em>called out the traffic police officer as Higuchi drove <em>way </em>over the speed limit.</p><p>The writing of a name.</p><p>A Witch’s Kiss.</p><p>The police officer drove into a truck. Higuchi killed the police officer with a traffic accident, driving away.</p><p> </p><p>L shouted out orders. “Everyone! I’ve determined that it’s too dangerous to allow further action by Higuchi! We haven’t confirmed the method of killing, but we will assume he has evidence on him and switch to capture mode! But like the Second Kira, assume that Higuchi can now kill with just a person’s face!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Yes, now I can-</em>
</p><p>“What the fudge, L?!” shouted the girl as L clipped handcuffs on her.</p><p>“Sorry, (Y/N)-san,” L said, unruffled. “We need to make it so you can’t move. It’s too dangerous for you.”</p><p>“L, me, and the successors had another vote, (Y/N),” said Light. “I’m sorry, but this is for your own good.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl glared at all of them.</p><p>“Hey, don’t look at me!” said Matt, laughing nervously. “We didn’t vote for!”</p><p>“By ‘we,’ Matt means me and him,” stated Near.</p><p>“Ok, don’t tell me that Mello…” started the girl.</p><p>“Yes. He suggested it, in fact,” said Near.</p><p><em>“Why </em>do you guys keep on voting without me?!” she shouted as L chained up her feet. “Why?!”</p><p>“Just do as we say,” said Light, smiling kindly. “You wouldn’t be safe out there, so this is what’s best for you.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl really wanted to stab Light’s kind smile off his face. But she settled for an extremely sarcastic, “Gee thanks, Light.”</p><p> </p><p>As they all left, L called out, “If we don’t return, someone should come and free you in 24 hours.”</p><p>“I’ll never forgive you!” the girl hollered after them. “I’ll murder you in your sleep!”</p><p>“I don’t sleep,” responded L.</p><p>And that was that.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Crap…those bastards…do I really seem like a ‘damsel in distress?’ Anyways, I need to get out, get a weapon, and follow them. I know roughly where they’ll be…but how do I get out…if only I had a hairpin on me right now…</em>
</p><p>Footsteps. “Hello, Watari,” said the girl, smiling bitterly.</p><p>“Hello, (Y/N).” Watari smiled kindly. “I see you’re in a rather tight spot.”</p><p>“Ha…” The girl laughed weakly. “You know it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Those handcuffs seem rather tight…you wouldn’t mind me loosening them?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl’s eyes glinted. “Yes, now that you say it, they <em>are </em>rather tight. Go ahead.”</p><p> </p><p>As Watari loosened her handcuffs, he slipped something into her hands.</p><p>The girl smiled when she felt a key touch her skin.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I bid you farewell, young lady.”</p><p>“I bid you farewell too, Watari.”</p><p>And Watari left.</p><hr/><p>The chains and the locks lied on the ground in a crumpled heap.</p><p>
  <em>Now…a weapon…</em>
</p><p>The girl smiled when she saw L’s discarded cutlery, used for eating those sweets of his.</p><p>
  <em>Perfect.</em>
</p><hr/><p>It was a simple task for her, finding them. The girl knew this place like the back of her hand; she could walk it blindfolded. That was to be expected, it <em>was </em>her territory, after all.</p><p> </p><p>She managed to reach Sakura TV just before Higuchi escaped. <em>Great. More running. Good thing I’ve got practice </em>(She saw Mello on the way, but he didn’t see her, and she pointedly ignored him. She was still mad).</p><p>She wielded her weapons, tailing Higuchi’s car from the shadows, she the hunter, Higuchi her prey.</p><p> </p><p>While she was chasing him, she saw a flood of patrol cars emerge, complete with sirens and tinted windows. <em>The police! But didn’t they pull out? But…that can only mean…</em></p><p>
  <em>Aizawa.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The helicopter landed a little ways off in front of her, blocking Higuchi’s path on the back of the road, along with two cars.</p><p>Watari stepped out with his sniper gun and aimed at Higuchi’s window. <em>Ah, a sniper gun. I tried using one of those once, but it’s pretty difficult aiming…Watari, there’s more to you than meets the eye…</em></p><p> </p><p>The girl was careful to remain as discreet as possible as the cars surrounded Higuchi.</p><p><em>“And now we wait for L’s orders,” </em>said Aizawa into a loudspeaker. <em>“This is as far as we can move on our own. Do not try to apprehend him until we receive L’s order.”</em></p><p> </p><p>Silence. Then-</p><p>Higuchi pointed a gun to his head. “STAY BACK! EVERYONE STAY BACK!”</p><p>He attempted to pull the trigger, but-</p><p>
  <em>Whish!</em>
</p><p>A butter knife collided with the gun. Higuchi clutched his hand in pain.</p><p>“What’s happening?” asked L.</p><p>
  <em>“It-it seems that someone threw a butter knife at Higuchi…”</em>
</p><p>“Butter knife…whoever stopped Higuchi, please reveal yourself,” said Light.</p><p> </p><p>The girl stepped out of the shadows, wielding in her dominant hand a spoon, a fork, and a knife.</p><p>“(Y/N)?!” yelled Mello. “You were supposed to stay at HQ! Why-”</p><p>“Mello, you know I’m really pissed with you, right?” The girl smiled sweetly. “If you don’t shut up, my good friend Mr. Fork will find his way into your neck.” Mello shut up.</p><p> </p><p>The girl looked at Higuchi, who was gaping at her. He stammered her name, then stopped when realization dawned on his face.</p><p>“Try to kill me, and my other good friend, Miss Knife, will also find her way into your jugular vein,” she said pleasantly. “Now, raise your hands and step out of the car.”</p><p>Higuchi obliged.</p><p> </p><p>The police tied up and blindfolded Higuchi.</p><p>“How have you been killing, Higuchi?” asked the girl, positioning her butter knife against his neck. “Tell all the good gentlemen here.” <em>Well…looks like my plan is going to fail…ah well.</em></p><p>“There’s a notebook,” he spat. “In the bag inside. You write a name, and the person dies, if you know their face.”</p><p>When Soichiro touched the notebook and saw Rem, he screamed.</p><p>When Mogi touched the notebook, he screamed.</p><p>When Mello touched the notebook, he screamed.</p><p>When the girl touched the notebook, she shrieked.</p><p> </p><p>The girl watched the notebook with narrowed eyes as it made its way towards Light. She heard him scream. She saw the evil grin on his face.</p><p>Higuchi slumped over as he died of a heart attack.</p><hr/><p>The girl walked through the ink-black night alone, guided only by the light of her ring.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>This is the place Rem told me about…now look, look, look…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>A patch of dug up dirt, which I couldn’t help but compare to a freshly dug grave, lay at the foot of a tree.</p><p>
  <em>Jackpot.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She dug and dug, dug and dug, dug and dug…her hands were covered by dirt when she finally found it.</p><p> </p><p>The girl picked up the Death Note from the hole, and looked at it.</p><p>The rustling of wings. She turned her head around.</p><p> </p><p>“You must be Ryuk,” she greeted. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”</p><p>Ryuk grin became even wider. “And I yours, Schneekönigin.”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Raindrops on Roses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rain poured down, as the girl walked.</p><p>
  <em>“You know, babe, roses are my favourite flower. But you…you’re more beautiful than any rose.”</em>
</p><p>“Hello,” she said to the woman at the flower shop. “Can I get some flowers?”</p><p>“Sure! What type?”</p><p>“A bouquet of roses, if you would please.”</p><p>Ryuk wouldn’t stop laughing.</p><hr/><p>It was still pouring down.</p><p>She walked around the site, looking for that one grave…</p><p>The one saying <em>Kyosuke Higuchi.</em></p><p> </p><p>Finally, she found it.</p><p>She knelt down and placed the bouquet at the foot of the grave, the only object present.</p><p>“Higuchi…” The girl took a deep breath. “In my 19 years of living, I have never met a person who was as disgusting, vile, lecherous, and greedy as you. You didn’t hesitate to kill for your own means, and you utterly disgusted me.” A beat. “You still didn’t deserve to be transformed into a Witch.”</p><p>Ryuk began to laugh.</p><p>The girl continued speaking. “If it counts for anything, I’m sorry that this had to happen to you. And when I’ll find your Witch, I’ll slay it, and put you out of your misery.”</p><p>She stood up. “Goodbye, Higuchi. Let’s pray that the next time we meet will be our last.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryuk’s cackles echoed into the sky.</p><hr/><p>“Ryuk…I have to ask you,” said the girl as she sipped her coffee in the café. “Please do not call any other Magical Girls by...<em>those names."</em></p><p>“Heh…but I didn’t know what else to call you, and that’s what your name said…do you want me to call you Puella Magi from now on? Or Mahou Shoujo?”</p><p>“…Ryuk, I’ve told you…please, call me by my name. It’s (Y/N).”</p><p>“(Y/N), can I have an apple?”</p><p>The girl rolled her eyes and tossed him an apple.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, another girl approached her. “E-excuse me, Miss…” she said nervously. “Why were you talking to yourself just now?”</p><p>The girl gave her a confused look. “Um, do I know you?”</p><p>“W-well…” <em>Sorry…</em></p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was talking to my friend.” The girl gestured to her phone.</p><p>“But the apple!”</p><p>“What apple?”</p><p>“The apple, it disappeared…”</p><p> </p><p>The girl pulled her close and touched the other girl’s forehead with her own. “K-k-kya!” stammered the other girl.</p><p>“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the girl purred. “I was just checking if you had a fever…you’re very warm, you know? Maybe you should go home.”</p><p>“Y-yeah…maybe I should…” mumbled the other girl.</p><p>The girl smiled at her. “Take care of yourself, ok?” she whispered in the other girl’s ear.</p><p>“A-alright…” The other girl wandered off.</p><p> </p><p>Ryuk cackled loudly. “I can’t believe it! Not even Light would have been able to pull that off, I bet!”</p><p>“Man…” The girl sighed. “I feel so guilty…”</p><p>“Heh…but Light told me you were shy around boys…”</p><p>“I’m shy around boys, Ryuk. Emphasis on <em>boys.”</em></p><p>“Ah…” Ryuk chuckled again. “Looks like things will be exciting again with you!”</p><hr/><p>The rules on the back cover of the Death Note were fake.</p><p>That’s what she told Ryuk in the bathroom, to which he responded, “How did you know?”</p><p>“I didn’t,” she replied. “You just told me.”</p><p>“…You’re good,” Ryuk admitted. “You found the Death Note, found out the rules were fake…that’s pretty cool.”</p><p>“I’m not good,” she replied truthfully. “I’m just lucky. Even with the Death Note…I was just looking for evidence.”</p><p>“Luck’s not going to be enough when you’re up against Light. Sooner or later, it’s going to run out. And when it does…” Ryuk grinned. “Light won’t hesitate to kill you.”</p><p>“…Ryuk. I honestly thought that you’d figured it out.” The girl smiled darkly. “I’m not afraid of death.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryuk chuckled. “Are you not afraid of death, or do you just not value your own life?”</p><p>The girl walked out of the bathroom, to the HQ.</p><p> </p><p>“Why did you take such a long time?” asked Mello.</p><p>The girl gave him a look.</p><p>“F-forget I asked,” mumbled Mello, averting his eyes. <em>Did you really not learn from last time?</em></p><p> </p><p>“You got here just in time. Mikami is just about to leave,” said L.</p><p>“Is anyone seeing him off?” she asked.</p><p>“Well…no-one except Light-kun,” said L.</p><p>“Hm…maybe I can give him a goodbye too?”</p><p>“As you wish,” said L.</p><p> </p><p>The girl walked away. She could briefly see Near ask Rem something.</p><hr/><p>Light was hugging Mikami. She could briefly see Light hand Mikami a letter.</p><p>
  <em>Ah…the letter must have the location of the Death Note.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Light walked away from Mikami, giving the girl a brief nod. The girl nodded in response, Ryuk chuckling behind her. <em>That one’s always laughing. We people must be pretty hilarious.</em></p><p> </p><p>Finally, she was standing in front of Mikami.</p><p>“So…” she smiled. “Where will you be going after this?”</p><p>“Well…” Mikami smiled. “I think I’ll go see Misa and stay over for a while. We’ve mostly been talking on the phone, you know, and I’d like to take her out on a proper date. She deserves it.”</p><p>The girl laughed lightly. “Smooth, Mikami. But just so you know-” the girl playfully punched his arm “-if you break her heart, I’m breaking your arm.”</p><p>Mikami laughed too. “Don’t worry, I don’t have any intention of doing that. And…one more thing. Since you are her best friend and all…”</p><p>He brought out his hand.</p><p> </p><p>The girl’s eyes widened. It was a black box. <em>Could it be…? </em>Mikami opened it. And sure enough, inside was a golden ring, decorated with beautiful diamonds.</p><p>If the girl were anyone else, she would have gone pale.</p><p>Ryuk’s cackles began to echo around the room.</p><p>“Mikami…”</p><p>“I’m not planning to propose so fast!” he said quickly. “Maybe…but…I don’t know, it just felt right to buy it. It…it looked like it belonged on Misa’s finger.” He groaned and placed his hand on his head. “What am I saying? I knew this was a stupid idea…”</p><p>“I think Misa would like to get married to you!” blurted the girl. She slapped a hand over her mouth. “I-I mean…I wouldn’t know anything, to be honest.” She sighed. “Mikami…you’re the one who Misa loves. Do what you think is best.”</p><p>“…You’re right.” Mikami pocketed the ring. “See you around, (L/N)-san.”</p><p>“See you around, Mikami.”</p><p> </p><p>Mikami walked away with his suitcase. The girl stumbled back to the room, a strange haze blocking her vision.</p><p>“(Y/N)! I can’t believe that Mikami…” Matsuda babbled on, but the girl couldn’t hear him, lost in a flurry of emotion.</p><p>Ryuk’s laughter was even louder now, echoing in her ears, the only thing she could hear from wherever she was.</p><p>Her eyes started to prick. She was going to cry if she wasn’t careful, and oh god, for all of her acting skills, she couldn’t seem to push these tears down-</p><p>“(Y/N)? (Y/N)!”</p><p> </p><p>The girl took a deep breath, and looked at Matsuda, who lost his excited-puppy expression, and began looking a little frightened.</p><p>Even Ryuk stopped laughing.</p><p>I could see why.</p><p> </p><p>Her eyes were devoid of emotion of any sort. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as unsettling if they were filled with that calculating look of hers, but…they were completely hollow. Hope, despair, happiness, sadness, nothing. Just hollow. Emotionless.</p><p>“Matsuda?” she asked, and her voice…it sounded as hollow as her eyes.</p><p>“N-Nothing!” he stammered.</p><p>“Alright.” She turned and walked away, and a phrase immediately popped into my head:</p><p>
  <em>Dead girl walking.</em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>“It…it was all for nothing.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No! Someone…anyone…save her!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’LL END IT ALL NOW!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Kill me before I turn into a Witch, won’t you, (Y/N)?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The girl raised her knife, tears pouring down her cheeks. “I’m…I’m so sorry!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The shattering of a Soul Gem.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>This was usually when her nightmare ended.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Usually.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>But now she was somewhere else and-</em>
</p><p><em>What was </em>he <em>doing here?</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The one she loved smiled at her, and she knew, she knew, she knew-</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t say it!” she screamed. “Please!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“(Y/N)…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The tears came back, and by god, she was drowning, she tried to lift up her hands to block him out, but they wouldn’t obey.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He spoke. “I love you.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The dream shattered and she shattered and everything shattered-</em>
</p><hr/><p>The girl was trembling so hard, and it was like she couldn’t breath.</p><p>Madoka grasped the girl’s shoulders. “(Y/N)!” she said. “It’s all right. It isn’t real. It isn’t real.”</p><p>The girl started rocking back and forth. “I love you. I love you.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.” She repeated the phrase over and over, over and over, over and over.</p><p>Madoka hugged the girl. “It’s alright, (Y/N),” she soothed. “You’re safe here. You’re safe.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl took a deep breath, calming down. “S-sorry,” she forced out.</p><p>“It’s all right. Would you care for a drink?”</p><p>The girl nodded. Madoka poured out a drink for her, and when the girl took the cup in her hands…</p><p>“Oh my god,” the girl whispered. “I…I can’t stop shaking. It’s never been like this before…” She shakily took a sip out of her drink.</p><p>“What brought it on?” asked Madoka.</p><p>“I don’t want to talk about it.”</p><p>Madoka pursed her lips. “As you wish. But you know, you’ll feel better once you let it all out.”</p><p>No answer.</p><p> </p><p>The girl continued to sip at her drink, until a question came to her.</p><p>“Madoka…have you ever fallen in love?”</p><p>Madoka visibly stiffened. “I…”</p><p>“Sorry, the thought just came to me. You don’t need to answer it.”</p><p>Silence. “Well…I’m not sure,” said Madoka, her gaze lowered. “I <em>did </em>have someone, but we…it’s hard to explain.” She sighed. “Not that it matters anymore. She doesn’t even remember me anymore.”</p><p>“I’m sorry. You probably miss her.”</p><p>“I do. But…this is what’s best for her.”</p><p>“What about what’s best for you?”</p><p>Madoka didn’t respond. Then she cracked a weak smile. “I guess that’s one thing we have in common.”</p><p>The girl laughed along. “Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>The room warped around her…</p><hr/><p>The girl sat up in her bed.</p><p>“Have a nice rest?” asked Ryuk beside her.</p><p>“To be honest…no.”</p><p>“You were screaming in your sleep. Wanna talk about it?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Can I have an apple?”</p><p>The girl tossed him an apple. “You’re gonna get fat one day, Ryuk.”</p><p>“Shinigami don’t get fat,” said Ryuk, before he eagerly started devouring the apple.</p><p>The girl sighed. She reached out to call Misa but realised that Mikami was staying over. <em>I don’t want to ruin her mood.</em></p><p> </p><p>She got ready to go, initially reaching for a professional-looking outfit, but changing her mind upon spotting the sweater Misa gave her.</p><p>She put the sweater on instead. <em>It feels like a hug.</em></p><p>A weak smile came onto her face.</p><p>“Ryuk, let’s go.”</p><hr/><p>The Task Force were questioning Rem once more.</p><p>“Rem-san,” said L. “The line ‘You don’t have the eyes’ was in the video sent by the Second Kira. Do these eyes allow you to see a person’s name when you see their face?”</p><p>“Well…that still seems a little unlikely, if you ask me,” said the girl. “I understand the concept of killing with a magic notebook to be honest, but how does someone suddenly get superpowers? It makes no sense, to be honest.”</p><p>“Higuchi did mention a trade,” said Near. “Perhaps this trade grants a person these ‘superpowers?’”</p><p>“To me, it seems pretty obvious,” said Light. “These eyes allow to see a person’s name after making a trade with the Shinigami. It can easily be deduced from the Sakura TV video and Higuchi’s talk in the car.”</p><p>“So, what is it, Shinigami?” said Mello.</p><p>“I don’t understand the question,” said Rem.</p><p> </p><p>The girl could see Light grit his teeth in frustration.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s been like this the entire time,” said Matt, sighing. “We try to get useful information, and it’s either, ‘I can’t tell you,’ or ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘I can’t answer the question!’ We are going in circles, I tell you. The cultural gap’s too big.”</p><p>“Well, Rem is a Shinigami. He resides on a whole different level of existence than us,” reasoned Near.</p><p>“’He?’” said the girl.</p><p>“They mean Rem,” said Light.</p><p>“I know…but…” The girl looked at them in astonishment. “Like…you <em>do</em> know that Rem’s a girl, right?”</p><p>Crickets chirped in the silence.</p><p>“Hey Rem! Are you a girl or a boy?” asked Matsuda.</p><p>“I’m female,” answered Rem.</p><p>“So…if Shinigami have different genders, does that mean-”</p><p>“-We do not partake in the activity you are thinking of, and we are expressly forbidden from doing so,” interrupted Rem, cutting Matsuda off.</p><p>“Trust Matsuda to think of such a question,” mumbled L. “Now, Near, Matt, Mello, (Y/N), there’s some work I want you to do. Listen carefully…”</p><hr/><p>The work was nothing much. The girl suspected L had just wanted to distract them.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)’</em>
</p><p>Her ears pricked.</p><p> </p><p>Was that coming from the rooftop?</p><p>She decided to find out.</p><hr/><p>It was raining. A distance off, the girl could see Light and L, but the thudding rain deafened her to anything they were saying.</p><p> </p><p>She leaned over the side of the rooftop. She was positive if she just leaned over a little more, she would be able to figure out what was making those noises…</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)… forgive me, darling…I’m such a terrible mother…’</em>
</p><p>“What the hell?” she mumbled. She leaned over a little more…</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…save me …’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…save her…’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…end this…’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…kill me…’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…’</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“If you lean over anymore, you’re going to fall over.” Ryuk’s voice startled her back into reality.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah…” The girl chuckled darkly, and stopped leaning over the ledge. “Ryuk…I think I’m finally starting to go insane. I keep on hearing the voices of dead people…”</p><p>No response.</p><p>“Was Light crazy too?” she asked.</p><p>“Well…sometimes, when he was talking about L, he would start to laugh like a madman. He also keeps on saying he’s a god, and other crap like that…”</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N).”</p><p>“Ryuk…did I imagine that?”</p><p>“No. It’s real.”</p><p>The girl twisted her head around, and gave Kyubey a pained smile. She didn’t know why she was smiling.</p><p>“Kyubey. I’d kill you, but I don’t have the energy.”</p><p>“I’d refrain from killing me if I were you. I have some news.”</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p> </p><p>Kyubey’s red eyes stared deep into the girl.</p><p>“Walpurgisnacht is coming.”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Light: Goddess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>Light was handsome.</p>
</div><p>It was a fact according to (Y/N), just like how the sky is blue, and grass is green. Honestly, he wouldn’t look out of place in those paintings of angels, or dare she say it, gods.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was his face that haunted her dreams that night, with sweet nothings whispered into her ears and soft kisses on her hands, on her cheeks, on her lips-</p>
<hr/>
<p>She woke up.</p>
<p>Even in consciousness, the only thing on her mind was Light. She had payed such close attention to him, she knew every little detail about him, face, soul, and mind; it was almost unnerving. Even now she could picture him perfectly-</p>
<p>She clutched her head tightly, and muttered, “Get out of my head.”</p>
<p>“The voices have come again?” remarked Ryuk.</p>
<p>She shook her head. She preferred the voices, to be honest.</p>
<p> “What time is it?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.</p>
<p>“12 o’ clock. You should go back to sleep.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>(Y/N)’s phone rang again in the morning.</p>
<p>“Hello?”</p>
<p>
  <em>“(Y/N), it’s me.”</em>
</p>
<p>“Oh, Light!” (Y/N) tried to sound perky, though her throat was hoarse from crying that night. “What’s up?”</p>
<p><em>“Well, I’d like to talk to you about somthing. Can you meet me here?” </em>Light listed off an address.</p>
<p>“Um…how much time will it take?”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Not much, I promise. So, is it a yes, or a no?”</em>
</p>
<p>Ryuk laughed in the background.</p>
<p>“Sure.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“I look forward to seeing you, (Y/N).”</em>
</p>
<p>“…Me too.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>(Y/N) had worn the sweater Misa had given her again. Honestly, she found it comforting to wear, and by god did she need comfort.</p>
<p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…forgive me…’</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…save me…’</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…kill me…’</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Light’s face drifted again into her mind. It was a memory of him laughing at something she said, back when he had no memories. It made her smile</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She shook her head violently. “Get out of my head,” she muttered to herself.</p>
<p>“What are you talking to?” inquired Ryuk. She would have responded, but just then, she could see Light arrive.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey,” she said. She invoked her acting skills, and gave Light a little side smile.</p>
<p>Light smirked back. “Hey.” His smile now lacked the innocence from before he regained her memories.</p>
<p>“Um…so, why am I here?”</p>
<p>“Oh, no reason. I just felt like talking to you.” Light smiled easily.</p>
<p>(Y/N) smiled back. “So…you want to take a walk?” she suggested.</p>
<p>“Sure.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The walk was fine, (Y/N) guessed. She guessed because she wasn’t really paying attention to anything that was going on, instead fixating her thoughts on the voices, Walpurgisnacht, anything else…</p>
<p>Her gaze drifted to Light’s face, against (or not against) her will.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They walked on, and on. At one point some boy on the street cat-called at her, saying something I don’t really want to repeat. His companions followed suit, cackling, whistling, calling her names.</p>
<p>Light’s eyes narrowed, and he snaked his arm around (Y/N)’s waist (a gesture she wasn’t entirely uncomfortable with). He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her mouth.</p>
<p>“L-Light!” she yelped. <em>He tastes like apples…</em></p>
<p>“Sorry,” he said. His gaze turned to the boy, giving him a poisonous glare while growling curses under his breath, then turned back to (Y/N), giving her a sweet smile and a peck on the cheek. “I just needed to show them that you shouldn’t be disrespected.”</p>
<p>“Light, it’s fine, you don’t need to do anything. I’m a model, I’ve gotten used to this stuff…” she said reluctantly. “It’s best to ignore it, really.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You shouldn’t. Stuff like these…it infuriates me.” He sighed. “It makes me think that, maybe, Kira isn’t all that bad.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” said Light. “I shouldn’t have said that.”</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s just an opinion.”</p>
<p>“Hey…what about you? I can’t help but wonder…are you really being honest when you say Kira is evil?”</p>
<p>“…It’s a matter of perspective, Light. Like how you perceive catcalling to be disgusting. You don’t like it, because you know me, and respect me, but all that boy saw was a pretty face.”</p>
<p>“You’re avoiding the question,” said Light.</p>
<p>“No, I’m not.”</p>
<p>“Hey…” Light smiled. “You can be honest with me.”</p>
<p>“My secrets are for me and me alone, Light.” She smiled and zipped her lips.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to get anything out of you, am I?”</p>
<p>“Nope.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They walked on. They didn’t seem to be doing much, to be honest. Just walking. (Y/N) didn’t mind.</p>
<p>Light spoke up again. “(Y/N)…what would it be like if this world were perfect? No evil, no sadness, just good?”</p>
<p>(Y/N) laughed. “Light, that would be impossible.”</p>
<p>“But…what if it was?”</p>
<p>“…If there were such a thing…” (Y/N) stopped walking. “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>“You don’t know?”</p>
<p>“No. But, a world like that…it would be nice.”</p>
<p>“Yeah…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They walked into a secluded spot, with no more people for miles.</p>
<p>“(Y/N)…would you like to be a goddess?” asked Light softly.</p>
<p>“What?” she looked at him in confusion.</p>
<p>“You would be a perfect goddess if you ask me. You’re kind, smart, beautiful…”</p>
<p>“Stop it!” she said, laughing. “I can be really mean sometimes, you know. I’m not that smart either, and beauty is a matter of opinion.”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s my opinion then.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) looked away shyly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And…I have one more question,” said Light. “Do you love me?”</p>
<p>(Y/N)’s eyes widened.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh god.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh god.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh god.</em>
</p>
<p>She took a deep breath.</p>
<p>
  <em>Just one word, (Y/N).</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Just-</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…forgive me…”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>One-</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…save me…’</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Word-</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…kill me…’</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>‘(Y/N), I love you.’</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The voices shut down, as if even they were curious as to what she would say.</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>Perhaps those words would come back to haunt her in her nightmares again, she thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Then…(Y/N)…” Light took her by the shoulders. “I want to tell you that I am Kira.”</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh god.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh my god.</em>
</p>
<p>Light continued to speak. “I am Kira. I’m the one who owned the Death Note before Higuchi, the one who has been cleansing this world. This world is rotten, (Y/N). So many people doing evil deeds…someone had to do it! When I finally defeat L, I will become god of the new world I’ve created, and you…” Light’s hand cupped her cheek. “Will you become my goddess?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N) took a step back.</p>
<p>“(Y/N)?” asked Light, his expression wounded.</p>
<p>
  <em>I have to get away…</em>
</p>
<p>“I-I have to go…”</p>
<p>Light’s expression twisted into something more menacing, and he dropped his hand from her cheek, instead gripping her wrist tightly. “If you don’t join me, (Y/N), I’ll be forced to kill you,” he said.</p>
<p>“Kill…me?” (Y/N) lowered her gaze, a hand covering her face.</p>
<p>“Yes…join me, and become the goddess of a new world, or die.” His eyes gleamed red</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She began to shake. Light wondered if she was crying…</p>
<p>“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!”</p>
<p>Light’s eyes widened. (Y/N) continued laughing.</p>
<p>“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” She felt like she was going to cry, but when her tears refused to pour out she reasoned that she had used them all up.</p>
<p>She abruptly stopped laughing. “Go ahead, then,” she said hollowly. “Kill me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Light narrowed his eyes. He let her go, pulled a piece of the Death Note from his watch, and a pen from his pocket.</p>
<p>“I have the Death Note, this pen, and your name,” he threatened.</p>
<p>(Y/N)’s gaze never left him. “Go ahead,” she repeated, nothing in her voice. “I’ll even spell it out for you, if you want.”</p>
<p>The scratching of a pen. “I’ve started,” said Light. “This is your last chance.” His voice was unsure.</p>
<p>(Y/N) just looked at him with that hollow expression. “I told you, didn’t I? Go ahead.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Light’s pen spelled out the last letter of (Y/N)’s first name…</p>
<p>The pen clattered to the ground. Light’s hand began shaking uncontrollably.</p>
<p>“I can’t do it,” he whispered hoarsely. “I can’t kill you.”</p>
<p>A tear ran down his cheek. He looked up. “Why can’t you see?!” he cried out. “Kira is righteous! He’s killing the scum of the world, making it a better place!”</p>
<p>(Y/N) just shook her head.</p>
<p>“Please! You have to join me! I can’t do this without you!” Light shouted.</p>
<p>She shook her head again.</p>
<p>“Why can’t you see!?” he cried out again. “I love you!”</p>
<p>“I-I LOVE YOU TOO!” she screamed. “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, THAT I CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Pin drop silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I-I have to go,” she said softly.</p>
<p>She turned on her heels and ran as fast as she can.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As the woman he loved left him, it was only then that Light began to wonder to himself, was what he was doing really justice?</p>
<hr/>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p>
<p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. L: Partners</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was raining once more. There was no one else in the building, for some reason.</p><p> </p><p>L tapped away at his computer, the Death Note safely kept away.</p><p>The Shinigami had gone to another room in the building, and Watari was also doing business, so L was alone.</p><p> </p><p>L was used to working alone, but today, the room felt unusually empty.</p><p><em>Perhaps it’s because </em>she <em>isn’t here.</em></p><p>L couldn’t help but ponder on the thought.</p><p>To tell the truth, he had gotten used to her presence. It was nice to know that L would only have to turn his head around, and he would be able to see her, talk to her, touch her. But that wasn’t possible now.</p><p>L sighed. He couldn’t keep on thinking about her. There was work to be done, namely-</p><p> </p><p>His gaze flicked to one of the CCTV cameras, and he let out a little, surprised noise.</p><p>Because he could see (Y/N).</p><p> </p><p>This particular feed showed the rooftop, where the helicopters where helicopters were supposed to land. L didn’t expect anyone to be there because</p><ol>
<li>He should have been notified the second someone entered the building</li>
<li>It was raining so hard, that if someone were to go out, they would be soaked.</li>
</ol><p>But apparently (Y/N) didn’t care, because not only was she outside in the rain, but she was also outside in the rain without a coat or umbrella of any sort.</p><p>And to put the strawberry on the cake, she was lying down in a puddle.</p><p> </p><p>L sighed. <em>If I let her stay out, she’ll catch a cold.</em></p><p>He stood up, his posture slightly slouched, and walked towards the rooftop.</p><hr/><p>Only minutes after L stepped into the rain did he realise that he had forgotten to bring an umbrella for himself. He shrugged and walked onward.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N),” he called out. “Come inside.”</p><p>No response. He tried again. “(Y/N).”</p><p> </p><p>He walked to (Y/N), standing above her.</p><p> </p><p>As expected, she was completely wet. Hair, clothes…completely sodden.</p><p>“(Y/N),” he repeated. Nothing.</p><p>L could see why.</p><p>Her body was here, but her mind was evidently not, her gaze a million light years away.</p><p> </p><p>L leaned down and touched her cheek. Ice-cold.</p><p>“(Y/N), if you stay here, you’ll catch a cold.”</p><p>Still nothing. L was getting frustrated.</p><p>L decided to try something.</p><p>He lay down beside (Y/N) in the puddle, allowing his pale hand to lie across her stomach.</p><p>Her gaze turned to him, full of confusion.</p><p>“If you stay here, I stay here too,” said L simply.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) stood up and walked away wordlessly.</p><p>L followed suit, smiling a little at his victory.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) sat at the footsteps.</p><p>“That was quite the ordeal,” said L. “I’ll bring us some towels.”</p><p>No response. L went away anyways.</p><p> </p><p>When he came back, a towel soaking the water on his head, (Y/N) had taken to lying on the floor again.</p><p>He sighed. “(Y/N), take this towel. Dry yourself.”</p><p>Nothing, as usual.</p><p>“(Y/N), look at me.”</p><p>(Y/N) remained unresponsive.</p><p> </p><p>L sighed again.</p><p> </p><p>He took (Y/N)’s head, and sitting down, placed it gently on his lap. He noted (Y/N)’s distant look.</p><p>He took a towel. “If you want me to stop, just say.” He knew there was no use waiting for a response, so he took to the task at hand.</p><p>He gently started to dry (Y/N)’s hair, wiping droplets from her face and neck as well.</p><p> </p><p>He began to talk to her.</p><p>“I wonder how you got there without me knowing. This building has state-of-the-art security, you know. It’s not an easy task to get in here undetected. Perhaps I should have sent you with Mello to infiltrate Higuchi’s house. You could have been a great help to him.”</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>“You know, sometimes it gets really lonely here, even with Watari. I analysed my feelings in depth and have concluded that you’re the reason.”</p><p>Her eyes seemed to focus a little more.</p><p>“I feel lonely when you’re not here because I like your company. It’s bearable at first, but I find that after extended amount of times, my mind fixates on you, and I am unable to work. I cannot work unless I know that you’re in a safe condition. I cannot trace your movements to make sure you’re safe, because not only it is invasive according to today’s social standards, but it is also simply impossible. You move around a lot, because of the nature of your lifestyle. Which is why, after thinking about it a lot, I have come to a solution which will be beneficial to both parties.”</p><p>L paused, hoping for a response, but when he received none, he carried on.</p><p>“You can come with me after the Kira case is over, and work with me under the L name. This also means that we’ll have to stay together for the majority of the time, living in hotels and such together, but I assure you, I’ll make sure that you are comfortable. Of course, this means you’ll have to leave your home, but you can visit anytime. As for your job, I’m not sure about it…”</p><p>He paused again. His ears were slightly pink.</p><p>“This allows you to be near me, so I can keep an eye on you, and be able to work in peace. I just hope you’ll be happy with m-this arrangement. And…I would like it if…we…officially…”</p><p>L took a deep breath. He sighed once more.</p><p>“I can’t say it. Perhaps later…”</p><p>No response.</p><p>“Why won’t you say something? (Y/N) …please say something.”</p><p>Still nothing.</p><p>L kept on wiping away the water.</p><p>“You’ve been like this since…it-it’s been a lapse of judgement on my part for not enquiring after your well-being…tell me…do you want to go on? If not…I’ll take you off the case. It’s obvious that it’s hurting your mental health.”</p><p>Silence. L sighe-</p><p> </p><p>“No.” (Y/N) shifted around, and her arms wrapped around L’s waist. “If you take me off the case, I won’t be able to see you.”</p><p> </p><p>“…(Y/N)?”</p><p>Her gentle breaths told L that she had fallen asleep.</p><p>He reached out to remove her arms from around him, but then realised that it might wake her up, and L did not want that.</p><p> </p><p>L sighed. <em>I need to get her to a bed. I don’t know if I have enough strength to carry her, but…</em></p><p>L felt a languid haziness sweep over him. His eyelids started to droop.</p><p>
  <em>Tired…I feel so tired…</em>
</p><p>L lay down beside her, and clutching her, he fell asleep.</p><hr/><p>Watari looked upon the sleeping couple and smiled. He brought out a woollen blanket and spread it across the two.</p><p>
  <em>Sweet dreams.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Mello: Knight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) was definitely not supposed to be in the shadiest part of Tokyo, but nonetheless, here she was, hanging around in a cute outfit. Practically a death sentence.</p><p> </p><p>And, as expected, she was being harassed by a bunch of drunk guys.</p><p>“Hey…” said one of them, grinning. “Isn’t she that model chick from that movie?”</p><p>Another one leaned in, inches away from her face. “Yeah…you’re right…” he slurred. “She looks even hotter in person…”</p><p>The men chuckled. “Hey, how about you hang with us?” he suggested, leering. “We’ll make it worth your while…”</p><p>“No thanks,” she stated coldly. “Goodbye.”</p><p>The man’s face twisted into a snarl. “Don’t talk back to me, woman!” He slapped her across the face, and Mello’s gaze faded to red…</p><hr/><p>
  <em>A white light…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cold air…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cold ice…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Bulls, cows, strange creatures…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The shooting of a gun…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Magic old as time itself…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Y/N)…</em>
</p><hr/><p>Mello woke up. He groaned. “My head hurts…”</p><p>“You idiot.”</p><p>Mello turned his gaze to (Y/N), who was sitting in a chair beside him. “What the hell?”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“What are you doing here?”</p><p>“We’re in a hospital. I carried you here.”</p><p> </p><p>Mello began to have some serious déja vu. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“We’re in a hospital.”</p><p>“Hospital?” asked Mello incredulously.</p><p>“Yes. You saved me from a bunch of drunks, remember?”</p><p>The memories came flashing back.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh god!” Mello shot up in his bed, his fists clenched. “What the hell were you doing there, (Y/N)?” he barked. “You shouldn’t be there! It’s literally the shadiest part of Tokyo, horrible things happen to pretty girls like you over there…who knows what they would have done? And nobody would have helped you…”</p><p>“It’s fine, Mello.” (Y/N) smiled. “I’m perfectly fine. You should be more worried about yourself; you know.”</p><p>Mello scoffed. “No! Don’t you realise? I’ve seen things, (Y/N)…stuff like…no.” He took a deep breath. “You need to understand, this world is cruel to girls like you.”</p><p>He grabbed her shoulders. “I’ve been to some places where a girl can scream and scream and scream, and no one will come to help her, no one will until the next day, when the girl is already a corpse, long dead. Or maybe she will have disappeared…”</p><p>His blue eyes pierced into hers, and I doubted that she would have been able to avert her gaze. “You don’t understand that this world is dangerous, (Y/N), and someone can easily take you away, and you know what?”</p><p>His gaze turned dark. <em>“I will not let that happen,” </em>he hissed. <em>“I won’t let them hurt you." </em>Mello gripped her shoulders tighter, and tighter, until he looked into her eyes, and saw something unknown swirling in there.</p><p> </p><p>He let her go. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I…I, sometimes…”</p><p>(Y/N) laughed. “You can be pretty intense sometimes, you know that Mello?”</p><p>“Yeah…is that weird?”</p><p>“No, I think it’s cool.” She shot him a smile, instantly putting Mello at ease.</p><p>He chuckled. “Thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“But wow…when you were beating up those guys, I swear…it was like you were a Viking berserker or something.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t know. All I could see is red,” admitted Mello.</p><p>“Hm…Mello…I personally don’t mind too much if you want to play ‘knight in shining armour so badly.”</p><p>Mello blushed. “Wh-what do you mean?”</p><p>“Yeah…” (Y/N) smiled wistfully. “Being the beautiful princess of this fairytail, and you being my knight, protecting me from the dragons and monsters of the world…it doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”</p><p>“…Who are you, and what have you done with (Y/N)?” demanded Mello playfully.</p><p>“What do you mean?” said (Y/N), pouting.</p><p>“The (Y/N) I know wouldn’t be able to say something like that before overheating and dying in the middle of that sentence.”</p><p>“I-It was j-just a thought, okay?” said (Y/N), looking away and shrinking into herself. “I-I’m sorry if you don’t like it…”</p><p>“A thought? A ridiculously cute thought if you ask me.” Mello smirked at her. “How long have you been thinking it?”</p><p>“H-h-h-h-b-b-d-e-e…” (Y/N) started to babble incoherent words.</p><p>“Hey, there’s the (Y/N) I know,” said Mello, his smirk widening. “Missed you, princess.”</p><p>“D-d-don’t c-call me that!”</p><p> </p><p>The nurse came in and checked Mello up. She gave them both the green light to leave.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Come on, princess.” Mello grinned as he stepped into the car, Watari in the driver’s seat.</p><p>(Y/N) smiled, and obliged.</p><p> </p><p>Mello would never see the bandages on one of (Y/N)’s arms, the bandages that concealed the knife wound she had received when she  had saved Mello from the drunkards.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Matt: Fever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Matt put his cigarette to his mouth. The Kira case was stressing him out, to be honest. More like it was stressing L out, and L was taking it out on everyone else.</p><p>Matt didn’t know why L didn’t just lock away the notebook and call it a day. There was ample evidence to suggest that it was the only notebook in existence, and that the Kiras weren’t going to pull another stunt, but no, L just <em>had </em>to try and find Kira. Why?</p><p> </p><p>“Because his pride rests on it. If he doesn’t catch Kira, he’ll lose, and L doesn’t want to lose.”</p><p>Matt’s cigarette dropped out of his mouth. “How did you know?” he asked.</p><p>“You were murmuring to yourself,” (Y/N) pointed out. She quickly snatched the packet of cigarettes from Matt and tossed them in the bin.</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>“Those things give you cancer,” she said.</p><p>“Why do you care?” asked Matt indignantly.</p><p>“Because I would like you to live a nice and long life, thank you very much.” (Y/N) laughed, something she rarely did nowadays.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey…” said Matt. “You’re pretty cheerful today. What’s up?”</p><p>(Y/N) shrugged. “Nothing.” And just like that, the joy faded from her face, reverting back into her usual, cold expression. “Let’s get back to work.”</p><p> </p><p>Matt obliged, wondering what he did wrong.</p><p>Of course, he attempted to strike up conversations with the girl working with him, but she hardly responded to his words properly, answering in short, curt sentences, or sometimes not even bothering to speak, tilting her head or humming in response.</p><p> </p><p>Matt racked his brains, trying to think of what to do…</p><p>Linda…</p><p>What?</p><p>When was Linda involved in this?</p><p>(Y/N) wasn’t Linda. (Y/N) wasn’t Linda. (Y/N) wasn’t Linda.</p><p>He repeated the phrase in his mind, although…</p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t help but draw similarities between the two girls, despite them being quite different.</p><p>“Linda,” he murmured against his will, and (Y/N) took in a sharp breath,</p><p>“I’m leaving,” she announced, and stomped out of the room.</p><hr/><p>Now, the last thing Matt wanted to do was seek advice from Light.</p><p>One, he was probably Kira.</p><p>Two, he was sus.</p><p>Three, he was one of those guys who seemed to look down on everyone.</p><p> </p><p>Matt was sure he could handle Light though. He was part of the Mafia, for god’s sake. Nothing he couldn’t handle.</p><p>Matt cleared his throat.</p><p>Light spun around in his chair. “Yes…Matt?”</p><p>“Um…hi.”</p><p> </p><p>Light raised a condescending eyebrow, and Matt resisted the urge to punch him in the face. “Is there anything I can help you with?” asked Light.</p><p>“Yes, actually. I’m having…girl problems.”</p><p>The corner of Light’s mouth tugged up a little into something resembling a smile. “Go on. Who is this girl?”</p><p>“Um, well…she…she hasn’t been talking to me for some reason. She’s been acting completely different than usual, and-”</p><p>“She’s angry at you,” proclaimed Light, and he took a sip out of his coffee.</p><p>“What? How did you know?”</p><p>“Experience,” answered Light. “I have a lot of it.” He offered Matt a smirk.</p><p>“I see…” Matt smiled back hesitantly. “What should I do?”</p><p>“Apologise.”</p><p>“What if I haven’t done anything wrong?”</p><p>“Apologise. If you don’t, she’ll stay mad at you,” explained Light.</p><p>Matt sighed.</p><hr/><p>“(Y/N), I’m sorry,” declared Matt. “Whatever it is, I’m sorry.”</p><p>(Y/N) didn’t respond.</p><p>“Um…do you forgive me?”</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>“God dammit! Someone tell me what’s going on!”</p><p>“Ask Mello.” Her voice was quietly hollow.</p><hr/><p>“Mello!” Matt barged in. “What’s up with (Y/N)?”</p><p>Mello shrugged. “I don’t know.” He brought out some chocolate and offered it to Matt. “Chill. She’ll get over it eventually.”</p><p>Matt ignored the chocolate, and thought to himself, what could possibly be going on?</p><p>
  <em>Ask Mello…</em>
</p><p>“Mello.” Matt’s voice was soft, but it held an edge of steel. “Did you say anything to (Y/N)? Something…something related to…” <em>Linda…</em> “Linda?” asked Matt.</p><p>“Oh, Linda? I just mentioned her this one time by mistake, and when (Y/N) asked, I told her that you used to have the biggest crush on her, and some other stuff. Why?”</p><p>“…I see…” Matt turned away.</p><p>
  <em>I have to go find her.</em>
</p><hr/><p>“(Y/N), are you in there?” Matt knocked the door to (Y/N)’s home. “(Y/N)?” He knocked the door again. “(Y/N)! Answer me!” Matt started to bang on the door violently, until it swung open.</p><p>“Matt.” Her voice held no emotion. “I thought you were working.”</p><p>“Well, I’m finished with work, so- that’s not what I’m trying to say!” shouted Matt. “I mean…you’re mad at me because of Linda, right?”</p><p>(Y/N) visibly tensed. “No.”</p><p>“Please…” Matt took a deep breath. “You don’t need to lie.”</p><p>“It’s not that, it’s just…” She took a deep breath and smiled. “You probably have stuff to do, so I shouldn’t burden you wit-”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up!” Matt snapped.</p><p>(Y/N) looked up at him dully, the smile melting from her face as if it had never been there.</p><p>“Why won’t you tell me? I want you to tell me! I want to help you!”</p><p> </p><p>“You…” Her voice trailed off, as if she wanted to say something but forgot what she wanted to say. She clutched her head.</p><p>“(Y/N)?”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) squeezed her eyelids shut.</p><p>“(Y/N)?” said Matt again.</p><p>A scream erupted from her lips.</p><p>“GET OUT OF MY HEAD!”</p><hr/><p>Matt looked at the whimpering (Y/N) in concern.</p><p>“What the hell…” he murmured to no one in particular.</p><p> </p><p>He had not expected (Y/N) to start screaming, or to start thrashing around, or to have that strange panic attack(?) Was it a panic attack?</p><p>But whatever it was, he had managed to get (Y/N) to bed, where she was now crying in her sleep, her forehead burning up with what he presumed was a fever.</p><p>What the hell was happening? That was he wanted to know most.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N)’s eyes suddenly shot open.</p><p>“Matt…” she croaked. “They won’t get out of my head, Matt…”</p><p>“Who? Who are they?” asked Matt. <em>Delirium?</em></p><p><em>“Them,” </em>she answered helplessly. “I’ve tried everything. I’ve told them I’m sorry, I’ve begged, I’ve pleaded, over and over and over, but they won’t listen…” She curled up into a ball, tears running down her cheeks. “They keep on going on about how you’re going to leave me, Matt. About how I’m just a replacement. I can’t get them out…”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not true,” said Matt easily. He kissed her on the cheeks. “You mean the world to me. I would never toss you aside.”</p><p> </p><p>“I do?”</p><p>“Yes.” He smiled.</p><p>A smile spread across her face. “I love you,” she mumbled.</p><p>“I-I…” a blush spread across his face as he said, “I love you too.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you love me, then cuddle me.” (Y/N) stuck out her arms, sniffling.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)…I might catch your fever…”</p><p>“CUDDLE ME IF YOU LOVE ME!”</p><p>…</p><p>THE NEXT DAY</p><p>…</p><p>“Matt,” said (Y/N) worriedly. “How did you get such a bad fever?”</p><p>“It’s all your fault, (Y/N),” sniffled Matt. “If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t be sick.”</p><p>(Y/N)’s eyes widened. “You…you love me?” she asked cautiously.</p><p>“Dumbhead.” Matt curled up into a ball, and turned away from (Y/N), muttering angrily to himself. “If only you weren’t so beautiful, and so smart, and so funny, and so amazing, and so perfect, then I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you, and I wouldn’t be sick…It’s all your fault!”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) really wanted to panic. She really did. But she reminded herself that Matt was sick, and she needed to take care of him.</p><p>Not even the voices could divert her from the task at hand.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical girls standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Reveal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There are those who hide under a false persona, a mask that only a select few are allowed to see under.</p><p>Perhaps a mask of strength, to hide weakness.</p><p>A mask of happiness, to hide sadness.</p><p>A mask of courage, to hide fear.</p><p> </p><p>Some people are able to hold up these masks flawlessly all their lives, nobody ever noticing what they really are.</p><p>But there are masks that break.</p><p> </p><p>And when the mask, that façade that they had ever so carefully built, breaks…</p><p>All hell breaks loose.</p><hr/><p>For the nth time, the girl shot up in her bed.</p><p>Sunlight streamed through the windows, signifying the arrival of the day. The girl rubbed her tired eyes, and took her phone from beside her, noticing a new message.</p><p>
  <em>Meet me beside Teru’s place for Witch hunting. </em>
</p><p>The message was from Misa.</p><p> </p><p>Walpurgisnacht was coming. The girl still couldn’t believe it. In a few days, Walpurgisnacht would come to wreak havoc on their city.</p><p>There was plenty of things she couldn’t get her head around:</p><ul>
<li>Misa and Teru were in a relationship</li>
<li>Kira was killing no more.</li>
<li>She owned Light’s Death Note now.</li>
<li>She had a Shinigami following her</li>
</ul><p>Things such as those.</p><p> </p><p>The girl stood up. “Ryuk,” she said. Said Shinigami looked at her, chewing on what she guessed was yet another apple. “We’re going Witch hunting, so if you want to say something, say it now.”</p><p>Ryuk shrugged. “Nah, I’m fine with that. But are you sure the Task Force will like you coming in late?”</p><p>“I’ll leave them a message.”</p><p>“Alright, whatever you say.”</p><p>                                               </p><p> </p><p>The girl quickly got ready, going through her morning routine, until she was standing in front of the mirror, brushing her hair.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…’</em>
</p><p>The girl tensed up for a second, then went back to combing her hair. <em>They’re not real.</em></p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…forgive me…’</em>
</p><p>The girl kept on brushing her hair, ignoring them as usual.</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…’</em>
</p><p>The lady in the mirror flickered in her mind’s eye, switching to the image of an older woman for a split second, smiling painfully. <em>‘(Y/N)…forgive me, darling…’</em></p><p>The girl paled, gripping the brush tightly. <em>You’re not real.</em></p><p>It flickered again. The face of a girl with fiery hair appeared, holding up a pitch-black Soul Gem, tears streaming down her cheeks. <em>‘(Y/N)…save me…’</em></p><p>A flicker. A girl with blue hair, her eyes shining and her cheeks wet. <em>‘(Y/N)…save her…’</em></p><p>Flicker. The face of a girl with green hair, pointing a gun at the girl’s navel, her face also stained with tears. <em>‘(Y/N)…end this…’</em></p><p>“You’re not real,” she muttered.</p><p>Once more it flickered. The face of another girl, with dark curls cascading down her shoulders. Battle wounds scarred her beautiful face, and she too held up a clouded Soul Gem. She had a peaceful smile. <em>‘(Y/N)…kill me…’</em></p><p> </p><p>The girl finally snapped.</p><p>“YOU’RE NOT REAL!” she screamed at the mirror, startling Ryuk. “YOU’RE ALL DEAD, DEAD, DEAD, SO WHY ARE YOU HERE?!”</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…’</em>
</p><p>“Get. Out. Of. My. HEAD!” The girl flung her hairbrush at the mirror, shattering it into pieces.</p><p>
  <em>‘(Y/N)…’</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“No!” she cried hoarsely, clutching her ears. “Stop it! Please…” She collapsed onto the floor. “I’m sorry,” she wept. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”</p><p>I wondered if this was where Magical Girl (Y/N) (L/N) would finally break, shatter into a million pieces of glass, pieces that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could never put back together.</p><p> </p><p>The girl took a deep breath and stood up. She clenched her hands into fists.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go,” she uttered, as if she hadn’t been crying and weeping on the floor only seconds earlier.</p><hr/><p>“She isn’t coming in,” sighed Mello, looking at the message on his phone. “That’s the…sixth? Seventh time?”</p><p>“Ryuzaki,” said Light, pursing his lips. “(Y/N)’s been doing this a lot, lately. Maybe we should take her off the investigation. She clearly cannot handle it.”</p><p>“Light, that’s unfair to (Y/N),” snapped Matt. “You say this <em>every time </em>she doesn’t come in. Give her a break.”</p><p>“I have to agree with Matt,” said Near. “It’s rude to say such things about her behind her back.”</p><p>L looked at the Death Note, then at Light. “(Y/N) has proved to be very capable, and I don’t have any intention of letting her go soon. And Light-kun…I must say, it’s strange you’re so insistent on her leaving.”</p><p> </p><p>Light ground his teeth mentally.</p><p>
  <em>Rem…you don’t say anything of use, even when I give you hints! If you had figured out my plan by yourself, or if anyone else here knew about it, then I would have already lost…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Someone is controlling you, someone who is smart enough to have figured out who I am and what I’m planning, someone who had told you about it…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Everyone here is firmly against Kira, or dumb in Matsuda’s case, except for…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Y/N) was the one who went to Yotsuba for the interview. She must have made contact with you and figured out that I am Kira. That’s what probably spurred her to get Higuchi to do what he did…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But why hasn’t she turned me in? If she were a Kira supporter, she surely would have clued me in somehow, and if she were against Kira, she would have turned me in. Even if she is neutral, something is motivating her to keep Mikami safe, hence her instructing Rem not to say anything.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Mikami never found the Death Note, that must be why he never contacted me after being released from confinement. The instructions I gave him were extremely specific, there was no way he could have missed it. The only way for him not to find the Death Note is if it wasn’t there, and if it wasn’t there, someone must have taken it…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She has the Death Note, doesn’t she?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Dammit! I never thought a woman would ever give me this much trouble. But I could always try and charm her into joining me, women are easy, after all, and they are very weak, I could overpower her easily…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What am I thinking? It was underestimating her which got me into this mess in the first place!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(Y/N) won’t fall for my lies. She’s…(Y/N). She would probably see right through me.</em>
</p><p><em>Not only that, but she is also </em>extremely <em>good with knives and the like…I won’t be surprised if she had a weapon of some sort on her. </em></p><p> </p><p>Light sighed, frustrated.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Kill her? But that could go wrong in so many ways…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Threaten her? That could backfire too.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I can’t believe it…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I was so focused on everyone else that I…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Light pinched his brow.</p><p>“Light-kun, is there something wrong?” questioned L.</p><p>“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just the Kira case. Shinigami Rem…” Light raised his head. “Is there anything you <em>can </em>say?”</p><p>“I don’t understand the question,” responded Rem.</p><p>Light sighed again. <em>Dammit…</em></p><p> </p><p>The room started to shimmer slightly. Matsuda was the first to notice this.</p><p>“G-Guys?” he said timidly. “Did you notice that?”</p><p>“Notice what, Matsuda?” asked Aizawa.</p><p>“The room…”</p><p>It shimmered again.</p><p>“It happened again!” shouted Matsuda.</p><p>“Matsuda, stop making a commotion-” began L, but cut himself when he noticed the room shimmer again. His eyes widened, and he instantly pressed a button on the computer labelled ‘EVACUATE.’ “Everyone, drop everything and evacuate headquarters. NOW!”</p><p> </p><p>Almost immediately, everyone started to scramble towards the nearest exit, as fast as they could, L grabbing the Death Note. Mello and Matt instinctively brought out their guns, and Near took a small robot with him, clutching Mello’s arm as he ran, to Mello’s annoyance. Rem, of course, was unnerved, and followed Light on wing as he ran.</p><p>“It’s no use,” she told them, as the exits finally shimmered away, turning into the stony walls of a cave. A roar sounded in the air. “Once a human wanders into a Labyrinth, they seldom make it out alive.”</p><hr/><p>“I fought a pretty strong Witch here a few days ago, when we were scouting separately,” Misa told the girl, holding up her glowing, red Soul Gem. “It escaped, sadly.”</p><p>“The trail’s pretty strong,” observed the girl, as they walked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was here about yesterday.”</p><p> </p><p>Misa took a glance at Ryuk, who was floating behind the girl. “Are you sure he won’t cause any problems?” she asked, as Ryuk chuckled.</p><p>“Nah, he’s an observer. He won’t do anything,” the girl reassured.</p><p> </p><p>They followed the trail, the girl frowning as the roads got more and more familiar. <em>I’ve been here before…this is the road to HQ. </em></p><p> </p><p>They finally stopped at HQ. “The Witch is in there,” said Misa. The girl paled. “Oh. My. God,” she whispered.</p><p>She ran inside, and the door was open, red alarms ringing all over HQ. “Misa, we have to go in now!” Misa frowned, and ran in after her, both of them transforming into their Magical Girl outfits.</p><p> </p><p>They ran to the main room, and found it was empty. Misa raised her chainsaw, motioning for the girl to go ahead. The girl raised her hand, and a portal opened in front of them.</p><p>They entered the Labyrinth at full speed, Ryuk flying after them. The girl disintegrated the Familiars in her way, shaped like warped human beings. <em>I have to get there in time, I have to…</em></p><p>
  <em>I won’t let the people I care about die!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Finally, they reached the centre of the Labyrinth, and Misa broke the rock in the way of the entrance to the cave with her chainsaw. They rushed inside.</p><p> </p><p>The Kira Task Force were backed into a mound of gold by several familiars. Aizawa, Ide, Watari, Mello, and Matt shot at the Familiars, but their efforts only served to anger the Familiars.</p><p>One of them opened their mouth and blew a stream of fire straight at Mello’s face.</p><p> </p><p>The girl knew what she had to do.</p><p>She raised her knife, charging it up with white magic.</p><p>“COLTELLO D’INVERNO!”</p><p>The knife shot through the air, and finally landed in the Familiar Mob tormenting the Task Force. Ice encased the Familiars, and they disappeared in a flurry of snowflakes.</p><p> </p><p>The Task Force turned their heads to the girl, looking at the two in shock.</p><p>“(Y-Y/N)?” said Light.</p><p>The girl ignored them. <em>I am a Magical Girl. And my priority is saving the innocents and killing the Witch. </em>“Misa,” she ordered. “Protect the innocents and get them out unharmed. At any cost.”</p><p>Misa opened her mouth to protest but closed it when she recognised the look in the girl’s eyes. “Alright…”</p><p>They heard a roar. <em>The Witch. </em>The dragon protectively shielded its mound of gold, as it growled at the intruders.</p><p> </p><p>Runes flashed before their eyes.</p><p>Ryuk, who had been silent until now, translated them.</p><p>“The runes say ‘Kyosuke Higuchi.’”</p><p>The girl raced towards what had once been Higuchi, looking at Misa one last time as she brought out her knives. ‘Under any cost,’ she mouthed.</p><p> </p><p>Misa quickly ran to the group, quickly slicing through a few Familiars with her chainsaw. "Protezione del Karma!" she shouted, and a red force field surrounded them. The Familiars who tried to cut through it were sliced in half, and those who tried to burn it with their fiery breath went up in flames. The Task Force were safe.</p><p>If she were anyone else, Misa would have acted a bit awkwardly, but she was Misa Amane, so she gave them a sweet smile, and made a peace sign with her hand. The classic ‘cute girl’ pose. “Hi, I’m Misa Amane, and I’m a model!”</p><p>The Task Force blinked in confusion.</p><p>“Oh, yeah!” Misa held up her chainsaw. “I’m also a Magical Girl, so don’t worry. You’ll be safe with me! Just be sure not to step out of the force field, ‘kay?”</p><p>Misa quickly put away her chainsaw, making her way towards Mello, who looked at her. Tears were pouring out of his eyes as he gritted his teeth in pain. “Wh-what…” he said.</p><p>Misa smiled again. “I can heal your burns, so can you lie on the ground for a sec? It’s gonna take some time.”</p><p>Mello obliged. Misa held her now-glowing hand over his burns. “They’re pretty severe, so you’re gonna have scars. I <em>should </em>be able to save your eyesight, though, so don’t worry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can you tell us what’s happening?!” demanded Soichiro. “Why were you holding a chainsaw? Why is (Y/N) fighting that…thing?”</p><p>Misa looked at the Task Force. They were wildly different people, but right now, they all shared one emotion: fear.</p><p>She took a deep breath. “It’s hard to go into detail right now, but that ‘thing’ is called a Witch. It traps people in its Labyrinth, the place we are in right now.”</p><p>“And I assume that (Y/N) and you fight these ‘Witches?’” asked L, regaining some of his composure.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“You knew about this,” accused Light. He was looking at Rem. “You knew about this and didn’t tell me!”</p><p>“It was against the rules,” Rem said simply.</p><p>“(Y/N)…” mumbled Mello. “Restaurant…she…arrest…handcuffs… maze…bulls… ice cage…”</p><p>“Shh. Relax,” soothed Misa. “It’ll be over soon.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl fought the Witch, leaping up into the air gracefully and throwing her knives as she ran around it. She couldn’t help but glance at the Task Force, registering their looks of fear. <em>You’re scared. So…</em></p><p>
  <em>I’ll put on a show.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Her knives were ineffective, simply bouncing off the Witch’s hide, so she brought out some more powerful guns, and with a flash of magic, turned them into silver pistols embedded with gems. As she shot into the Witch, magic burst like fireworks, ice spreading across its hide, but quickly melting.</p><p>
  <em>My ice magic has no effect on it…</em>
</p><p>The girl went the ‘Muggle route,’ and brought out some grenades, tossing them into the Witch’s mouth when it roared.</p><p>BOOM.</p><p>The Witch coughed out blood but recovered quickly.</p><p>
  <em>It worked. But…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She mentally counted her arsenal. <em>I have plenty of bombs, but they’re all not powerful enough to do lasting damage. But what if they all went off at the same time…?</em></p><p>
  <em>If I toss them in one at a time, it might not do much damage, and I need it to get to its stomach for it to be the most effective…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>An idea hit the girl. She ceased her fire, standing still. <em>It should work, as long my Soul Gem isn’t damaged.</em></p><p>“You’re so protective of your treasure, aren’t you, Higuchi?” she called out. “So…I suppose you wouldn’t like it if were to…damage it.” She picked up a vase, probably precious, as the Witch snarled. She dropped it, the piece shattering on the floor. She smirked at the Witch. “Oops.”</p><p> </p><p>The Witch roared, crawling towards the girl on its four feet, opening its mouth as she looked at it impassively.</p><p>The Witch swallowed her whole.</p><p> </p><p>The Task Force, who were still watching from the force field, watched on in horror.</p><p>“(Y/N)!” screamed Light and Matt in unison.</p><p>Near and L looked on, their normally calm faces frozen in horror.</p><p> </p><p>“You have to let us out!” shouted Matsuda. “We have to help her!”</p><p>Misa shook her head.</p><p>“You have to! (Y/N) is going to die-” began Aizawa.</p><p>“Shut up!” she snapped. Misa bit her lip, and took a deep breath, calming herself. “(Y/N) is a veteran Magical Girl. If she let the Witch eat her, then she must have a reason for it. Just…give her time.”</p><p>“Give her time?! She was literally <em>eaten, </em>what are you-”</p><p> </p><p>The Witch let out a roar.</p><p>“We have to get out of here!” shouted Soichiro in a panic. “Or else we’re all going to die!”</p><p> </p><p>BAM!</p><p> </p><p>Everyone fell silent.</p><p>BAM!</p><p>BAM!</p><p>BAM!</p><p>BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBA-</p><p>SPLAT</p><p> </p><p>The Witch promptly exploded.</p><p>Standing in the middle of its remains was the girl. She looked worse for the wear, stomach acid burning through her skin, and her dominant arm broken.</p><p> </p><p>The Labyrinth faded away, and so did the girl’s outfit, reverting to her old clothes. She stood still; her gaze averted to the floor.</p><p>One breath.</p><p>Two breaths.</p><p>Three breaths.</p><p> </p><p>She slumped to the ground.</p><p>Misa rushed to her side, picking up the Grief Seed and clearing the girl’s almost-black Soul Gem.</p><p>The room blurred, and her world went black.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Higuchi, the Dragon Witch. Its nature is greed. The Witch takes shallow pleasure in material objects such as gold and silver, and it guards its treasure fiercely. Humans who wander into its Labyrinth shall have anything of value stripped away from them, and their worthless remains will be consumed by its Familiars. One hoping to defeat the Dragon Witch must play the part of a chivalrous knight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The </em>
  <em>Komplize are the Familiars of the Dragon Witch. Their duty is to polish the treasures until they shine, and to dispose of worthless objects. They are obedient and complying to their master, but they mock the Dragon Witch when it isn’t listening. The Komplize take the forms of humans the Dragon Witch associated in life, but are careful to warp their faces beyond recognition, lest their master should fly into a rage.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>Then there’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! So, warning. This chapter tackles (Y/N)'s backstory, so if you're not good with extremely depressing stuff, I suggest you turn back now. I tried not to say stuff in extreme detail, but there is some implied suicide, and a lot of angst.<br/>Bye!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘Honesty is the best policy.’ How many of you have heard this phrase? Many humans have it knocked into their heads from their childhood, knocked into their heads by society.</p><p>I am going to tell you different.</p><p>The truth is a dangerous thing indeed. It has started wars, ripped apart families…it is not something you just throw around. And I implore you, dear reader, to be careful when you tell the truth.</p><p>The truth can change everything.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>“(Y…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“N) …”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“(Y/N) …”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Wake up.”</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>The girl’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing she comprehended were soft blue eyes looking into her own, and long blonde hair…</p><p>“(Y/N)?” asked Misa in concern. “Are you feeling okay?”</p><p>The girl opened her mouth, but her voice was silent, so instead, she mouthed, ‘Water,’ weakly.</p><p>The girl sat up, to see the entirety of the Task Force in the room. She was draped with a blanket, lying on the sofa. She shivered in the cold.</p><p> </p><p>Misa came back with a glass of water, the girl taking the glass in her shaking hands and bringing it to her cracked lips, the cool liquid soothing her dried-out throat.</p><p>The girl set down the glass, and the moment she did so, Misa promptly hugged her.</p><p>“I was so worried!” wept Misa. “I was scared that something horrible had happened to you, and that you had died, and I wouldn’t be able to see you ever again…don’t do that ever again!”</p><p>Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, and she hugged Misa back. “I’m sorry, Misa!” she wailed.</p><p> </p><p>The two girls had a cry-fest for a few minutes, the end resulting in a mess of tears and snot.</p><p>“Tissues?” offered Matsuda awkwardly, holding out a box of tissues.</p><p>The girls took a wad of tissues each and violently blew their noses, sniffling.</p><p>“Sorry, it’s been really hard for us lately,” explained the girl. “You…probably know, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yes,” answered Near.</p><p> </p><p>The girl glanced at Mello, noting his scar. Guilt twisted in her stomach.</p><p>“(Y/N)…tell us, what’s going on. Please.” Mello looked at her seriously.</p><p>“We need to know,” added Light.</p><p>“…” The girl considered it for a moment. “That depends. Can I trust you with this information?”</p><p>“Trust us?” said Matt indignantly.</p><p>“Yes. If you want me to tell you, then you will have to swear that you won’t try to use this for your own benefit.”</p><p> </p><p>The girl’s eyes flicked to Light’s direction for a split second, her gaze piercing right through him.</p><p> </p><p>“…you can trust us,” said Soichiro. “We swear.”</p><p>“We swear,” the rest of them echoed.</p><p>“Alright then.”</p><p>The girl sat up straighter in her seat, emitting an aura of control and authority somehow, despite her state.</p><p>“As you both know by now, Misa and I are Magical Girls. We both fight Witches, like the one you saw back in headquarters…”</p><p>The two girls explained the basic mechanics of the Magical Girl world to them.</p><p>Or, in less pleasant terms, the non-horrific mechanics.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that all?” asked L.</p><p>Misa nibbled on her lip nervously.</p><p>The girl looked down.</p><p>“What about your past, (Y/N)?”  blurted Ide. “Everyone here is trustworthy, except for you and Misa.”</p><p>“…Ide, you shouldn’t say that,” said Light carefully. “(Y/N) obviously doesn’t want to share that information with us.”</p><p>“But…”</p><p>“It’s alright,” said the girl suddenly. Some strange emotion, an unnerving one was gleaming in her eyes. “I’ll tell you the rest of what I know. And while I’m at it, I’ll tell you my past too.”</p><p>“(Y/N)-” said Misa before being cut off.</p><p>“It’s fine. The only way they’ll truly understand is if I tell them.”</p><p>Misa fell silent.</p><p>And the girl began her tale…</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>I was thirteen when I first met the Incubator. My parents and I were celebrating my father’s birthday by going on a trip to see the Northern Lights, and my dad had already blown out his candles.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I was old enough to know that wishes made on candles didn’t always come true. And so when the Incubator approached me…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You can grant any wish?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It nodded. “Yes, anything that you desire, in exchange for becoming a Magical Girl and fighting Witches!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I knew what Witches were. The Incubator had told me.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I loved my father a lot. He was my favourite parent.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>A chance like this didn’t come often, I knew.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I didn’t want anything much from life, to be honest. I was smart enough to accomplish anything, my grades proved that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So if not for me…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I wish for my father’s wish to come true!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>To this day, I still don’t know what the wish I sold my soul for was. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I got my Soul Gem, and immediately got to slaying Witches when I arrived back home. Or rather, back to my city since I often stayed out late. So it was a complete shock when I went home one night and found my mother crying.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I found a letter from my father, explaining he had gone to live with another woman.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>My mother didn’t handle it well. She didn’t come out of bed unless I made her, and even then, she remained silent through the day, hardly speaking. She wouldn’t cook, or wash, or do anything at all.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I was fourteen when I got my first part time job in a café. My father didn’t send any money, and my mother wasn’t able to work, so it was up to me. I had to do chores too, and cook, and of course, there was school. I managed, I was a genius, after all. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>When I first burnt myself, I was cooking dinner for my mother when a pot of boiling water fell over.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I couldn’t help it. I cried.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My mother, sitting at the table, sat, saying nothing. Before bursting into tears herself and hugging me.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Forgive me, darling…I’m such a terrible mother…”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>We cried a lot that night. She promised that she would try, try to get her life back.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The next day, after coming back from school, I couldn’t find her waiting for me like she promised.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I only found a note. A note from her, to me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I called the ambulance, but it was no use. My mother was pronounced dead on the scene.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I was sent to live with my father, of course. It was sickening. It still is. Sometimes, I want to puke because of it.</em>
</p><p><em>I never left my room, only going outside to slay Witches. And inevitably, I came across a Witch I couldn’t defeat. I thought I was done for. Well, until </em>they <em>arrived.</em></p><p>
  <em>Four Magical Girls, practically glowing with power.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>They took me in after that, asked me what my story was. I broke down and told them everything. And just like that…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t worry, you don’t have to fight alone!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, stick with us, and you’ll be fine!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I began to recover. I started going back to school, talking to my friends. I even managed a word or two to my stepmother.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>But all things must come to an end.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The first one who fell stopped using her Grief Seeds. She began to fight recklessly, putting herself in danger. We confronted her about it, and all she told us was that she didn’t have anything to live for anymore.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>One day, I found her sitting in a park. Her Soul Gem was completely black.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“It…it was all for nothing.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>It was there I learned the first truth: When Soul Gems turn pitch black, we fall to despair and turn into Witches.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>We tried everything. We really did. But it was no use. Wherever she was, she couldn’t hear us.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We tried…</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“No! Someone…anyone…save her!”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The second one to fall was shot straight in her Soul Gem.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“I’LL END IT ALL NOW!”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>The third one to fall was killed by the last one. A mercy killing, in some ways.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I killed the last one. Her Soul Gem had reached its limit, and she didn’t want to live the rest of her life in despair…</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Kill me before I turn into a Witch, won’t you, (Y/N)?”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>To this day, I’m still waiting my fall.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My fall into despair.</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“I’m…I’m so sorry!”</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>The girl fell silent.</p><p>Everything was silent.</p><p> </p><p>“This…this can’t be right…” whispered Soichiro in horror. “This isn’t fair.”</p><p>“It isn’t fair. It isn’t right.” The girl looked down. “But it’s just how things work for us Magical Girls. We either die heroes…or we live long enough to see ourselves become the villain.”</p><p>Misa looked down too.</p><p>“And…there is something else you should know too,” said the girl. “The Death Note…whoever is killed by it turns into a Witch. And the Witch I rescued you from…it used to be Higuchi.”</p><p> </p><p>Light’s eyes widened in horror.</p><p> </p><p>“This isn’t right,” said Matsuda. He was crying. “This isn’t right! Girls like you shouldn’t have to be put through all this! This isn’t fair!”</p><p>“It’s perfectly fair, on the contrary.”</p><p> </p><p>The girls lifted their heads.</p><p>“Kyubey,” said Misa.</p><p>“Incubator,” greeted the girl. “What brings you here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I heard that the Kira Task Force had found out about <em>our world,</em> so I am here simply to observe and take note,” said the Incubator.</p><p>“Y-you’re the Incubator that has been contracting Magical Girls!” shouted Mello, bringing out his gun. The other gunmen followed suit.</p><p>“Why are you pointing guns at me?” Kyubey asked, tilting its head to the side.</p><p>“You’re evil!”</p><p>“Ah, so (Y/N) told you about her past…” Kyubey trotted to the foot of the couch. “I assume she’s told you about Walpurgisnacht too?”</p><p>“Walpurgisnacht. Night of the Witches,” translated Near efficiently.</p><p>“What is that?” asked L against his better judgement.</p><p>“A Witch, of course. One which has been known to destroy entire cities, entire civilisations. It’s so powerful that it doesn’t even hide within a Labyrinth. The Witches (Y/N) and Misa fight are nothing compared to it! They don’t stand a chance. They’ll run out of Grief Seeds if they fight it and turn into Witches.”</p><p>“Why do you do this?” said Matt. “Why?”</p><p>“You know what entropy is?” L nodded. “Well, the Magical Girl system provides energy to prevent the heat death of the universe.”</p><p>“The means justify the end…” uttered Light in horror.</p><p>“Yes,” said Kyubey.</p><p> </p><p>“But (Y/N) and Misa…you said they will die,” said Aizawa.</p><p>“Probably, unless they run away, which they won’t,” said Kyubey.</p><p>“Is there anything we can do to save them?” blurted Matsuda.</p><p>“There is something…Soichiro Yagami, Shuichi Aizawa, you both have daughters, right?” said men frowned. “You can get them to make Contracts with me and become Magical Girls!”</p><p> </p><p>BANG. BANG. BANG.</p><p>Kyubey’s dead body fell to the floor.</p><p>Matsuda’s gun was smoking.</p><p> </p><p>“I…killed it…” said Matsuda to himself. “I killed it…”</p><p>“No, you didn’t.” Kyubey emerged from the shadows, trotting up to its dead body. It immediately began to eat its own corpse.</p><p>Everyone, save for the Magical Girls, looked at it in horror.</p><p>“H-how…” said Mello, his eyes wide.</p><p>“My soul did not reside within that body, so I wasn’t killed,” explained Kyubey. “It’s the same with Magical Girls, actually. We take their souls from their bodies and turn them into Soul Gems. I usually withhold this information unless asked, though, because many Magical Girls kill themselves upon learning the truth of their Soul Gems. Their reasoning is strange to be honest because they kill themselves due to the belief that they’re nothing but corpses…”</p><p> </p><p>“Get out,” said Misa suddenly. “Get out, and don’t come back!” Tears were pouring out of her eyes.</p><p>“As you wish.” Kyubey trotted to the window, and turned its head briefly to L. “And L, it would greatly benefit us if you and Watari were to collaborate with me and Contract the girls in Wammy’s House. They have some of the most potential I’ve ever seen, and they could make powerful Witches.”</p><p>And just like that, it left.</p><p> </p><p>“It had the nerve…it had the nerve to ask me if it could Contract at Wammy’s…” muttered L angrily.</p><p>“I’ll…I won’t let that thing prey on my wards…” said Watari angrily. “I won’t!”</p><p>“…(Y/N), that <em>thing </em>said you would turn into a Witch.” Mello turned to the girl. “Please tell me that’s a lie,” he pleaded. “Please.”</p><p><br/>
The girl raised her gaze. It were filled with an ice-cold determination.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Mello. I won’t turn into a Witch. Because…” The girl loosened the tight grip she had on her Soul Gem and smiled calmly. “Because I’ll kill myself before I fall into despair.”</p>
<hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three four, should fall</p><p>Then there’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Light: Please</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) leaned back on the couch. She was so tired.</p>
<p>She drifted in and out of consciousness.</p>
<p>In and out.</p>
<p>In and out.</p>
<p>In and…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’ll leave you here to rest, alright?” said someone, she couldn’t tell who.</p>
<p>In and out.</p>
<p>She was so tired.</p>
<p>In and out.</p>
<p>She was so cold.</p>
<p>In and out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you cold?” asked a soft, soothing voice. She couldn’t help but trust it, even though her eyes were closed and all she could see was darkness.</p>
<p>“Yes…”</p>
<p>“I’ll bring you another blanket.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Time passed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As time passed, she drowned in the sounds around her, drowned and drowned and drowned. She drowned and drowned and drowned and drowned and drowned and drowned in her own misery, in her-</p>
<p>It was so painful sometimes.</p>
<p>Pain…the only thing which always remained.</p>
<p>She wished for someone to make the pain go away…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The blanket was draped over her. A hand softly caressed her face.</p>
<p>And the pain, it went further and further away…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her eyes drifted open.</p>
<p>“Light?” she murmured.</p>
<p>The pain jolted back, returning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You told me the truth that day,” he said, his face showing no emotion.</p>
<p><em>Ah, that day,</em> she thought. <em>The day he kissed me. </em>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“Do you…do you really think you’re a zombie?”</p>
<p>“Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don’t,” she answered. “And what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you have left by now?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, I wanted to ask you some questions.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) smiled. “Well then, Light. Ask away.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you think about Kira?” asked Light.</p>
<p>“Didn’t you ask me already?”</p>
<p>“Well…I want to know what you think of him.” <em>What I think of you, you mean.</em></p>
<p>“What do you want to hear?”</p>
<p>“Your honest opinion.”</p>
<p>“Really?” asked (Y/N) playfully, laughing slightly.</p>
<p>“I’m being serious.” Light did not laugh.</p>
<p>“Well…” (Y/N) looked down. “I think…in his own way, Kira was trying to bring hope to the world. But in doing so, he was actually bringing despair. So, if I had to say something about him, I’d say that I pity him, as well as admire him.”</p>
<p>“I see,” said Light.</p>
<p>“Do you have any more questions?” asked (Y/N).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, then…(Y/N), tell me…do you think you can defeat Walpurgisnacht?”</p>
<p>“Well, it depends on the number of Grief Seeds, and of course, weapons-”</p>
<p>“Answer the question,” interrupted Light. “Tell me what you really think.”</p>
<p>“I won’t.”</p>
<p>“You won’t answer?”</p>
<p>“I won’t survive if I fight Walpurgisnacht. I’m not powerful enough, and not clever enough.” She smiled sadly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Warm arms suddenly wrapped around her body.</p>
<p>“Please,” whispered Light in her ear. “Run away. Don’t fight it. I’ll run with you if that’s what you want.”</p>
<p>“L-Light…”</p>
<p>“I’ll burn the Death Notes if that’s what you want. I’ll abandon Kira. I’ll abandon my plans. I’ll abandon my New World. I’ll abandon everything…” Warm tears dripped on her shoulder. “I just need you. Nothing else.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can’t do that.” Her voice was sad. “As long as there are lives at risk, I’ll fight it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Light released her. “Why…you’ll die! You said so yourself! Please, run away!” he pleaded.</p>
<p>“Light…I promised myself that I would protect this city. And besides…I would like to spend the rest of my life spreading hope. Not running away. If I ran away, I would feel guilty.”</p>
<p>“…You want to bring hope to the world?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, if it means anything…you brought hope to me, (Y/N). I thought…well…you…” Light was trailing off.</p>
<p>A beat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“…I really did?”</p>
<p>The pain was drifting away.</p>
<p>“Yes. You brought hope to me.”</p>
<p>A tear ran down her cheek, and Light realised (Y/N) was <em>crying.</em> “Thank you, Light. To bring hope…that’s all I ever wanted.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>If one, two, three four, should fall</p>
<p>Then there’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. L: Selfish</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) hummed a melancholy tune as she walked to the sweet and cake shop.</p><p>“Hello, what would you like?”</p><p>“Everything.”</p><p>The woman at the counter blinked. “A-are you sure?”</p><p>“Actually…” (Y/N) looked around. “Make it two of everything.”</p><p>“…” The woman decided she had a new story to tell her drinking buddies that night. “Sure.”</p><hr/><p>“L, where are you?” (Y/N) called out. “These bags are getting really heavy, you know…”</p><p>“Give them to me.” Watari smiled, appearing from seemingly nowhere.</p><p>“Alright.” (Y/N) handed over all of her bags, except for one.</p><p>Watari looked at it inquiringly.</p><p>“I want to give it to L myself. It’s strawberry shortcake. Does he like it?”</p><p>“Yes. It’s one of his favourites.”</p><p>“Do you know where I can find him?”</p><p>“He should be in the main room.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) walked to the main room.</p><p>“L,” she greeted.</p><p>“(Y/N),” responded L.</p><p>“I…I brought you cake.”</p><p> </p><p>L turned around in his chair.</p><p>“Thank you, (Y/N). Is it strawberry?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Thank you,” L repeated. He smiled. “Would you sit down next to me?”</p><p>(Y/N) obliged.</p><p> </p><p>L carefully opened the box, revealing a strawberry shortcake.</p><p>“Sorry I got only one, they didn’t have any more,” she apologised.</p><p>“No, it’s fine. We can always share.”</p><p> </p><p>L got out a spoon and took a bite out of the cake.</p><p>He scooped out another tiny piece and offered it to (Y/N). “Care for a bite?”</p><p>“No, keep it,” she said sadly. “I brought it for you.”</p><p>“But doesn’t it look delicious?” asked L.</p><p>(Y/N) looked at the cake. “Yes, it does.”</p><p>“Be a little selfish, (Y/N). Take a bite.” L smiled.</p><p>(Y/N) laughed. “I’m a Magical Girl. I should be selfless, not selfish. You’re welcome to be selfish though, L. I don’t mind.” (Y/N) smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“Selfish…” mused L. “I am L. I shouldn’t be selfish.”</p><p>“Alright then.” (Y/N) stood up and smiled sadly. “Goodbye, L.”</p><p><em>Selfishness…</em>thought L.</p><p> </p><p>L grabbed her wrist and stood up.</p><p>“L, is there something you-MMPH!”</p><p>L had kissed her.</p><p>“I am not supposed to be selfish, but I don’t care,” he said. “Why do you want to fight it? Why?”</p><p>“Because if I won’t do it, who will?”</p><p>“I…as L, the detective, I respect and admire your decision. But as L, the person…I can be very selfish, you know? And that selfish part of me wants to keep you from fighting.”</p><p>“…Don’t worry. My fate’s not set in stone; you know. For all we know, I might survive.”</p><p>“But I still want to help you. I want to do something for you.”</p><p>“You’ve done a lot for me already, L.”</p><p>“That isn’t sufficient. If there’s something you truly want from me, more than anything else…”</p><p> </p><p>“…Remember me, L.” (Y/N)’s eyes began to brim with tears. “We…when we die, our bodies, they’re often lost in Labyrinths, and we’re dismissed as missing people. Sometimes no one will ever realise what we sacrificed, how much we suffer, so…please. Remember me. That’s all. I-I couldn’t ask for more.”</p><p> </p><p>“…I will not forget,” said L, his eyes gleaming with determination. “I will never forget.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) kissed him, her lips salty with tears.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three four, should fall</p><p>Then there’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
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<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Mello: Good</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The knives were cold against (Y/N)’s skin, as she took a hold of one, and efficiently threw it at Misa.</p><p>“Misa, pay attention at all times! Walpurgis can make attacks can come from anywhere!”</p><p>“This is so tiring, (Y/N)-chan!” yelled Misa. “Can I have a toilet break?”</p><p>“Walpurgis won’t give you toilet breaks, you should have gone before!”</p><p>“But I didn’t <em>want </em>to go before!”</p><p>“Too bad!”</p><p>“Please, (Y/N), or I’ll do it in my pants!”</p><p>“Well, then-”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re certainly a tough teacher, aren’t you, (Y/N)?”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) turned around, ceasing her attacks. “Mello,” she greeted hesitantly. She did not miss the almost predatory gleam in his eye as he looked toward her.</p><p>Mello smiled easily, although it seemed just as fa. “Do you mind if I borrowed (Y/N) for a minute!”</p><p>“Yes, of course!” said Misa quickly before (Y/N) could protest. “Have fun!”</p><p> </p><p>Misa quickly ran away; presumably to the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>A flash of light, and (Y/N) was back in her normal clothes.</p><p>“So, what is it?”</p><p>“I need to talk to you about something.”</p><p>“A-alright, then. Let’s walk.”</p><p> </p><p>They walked together, and (Y/N) couldn’t help but squirm under Mello’s intense gaze.</p><p>“Are you uncomfortable?” His voice was cold.</p><p>“A-ah…” (Y/N) laughed nervously. <em>What the hell’s going on?</em></p><p>Usually, (Y/N) would describe Mello as prickly, and hot tempered, but pleasant once you got past all that. But why was he acting so…different, she didn’t know.</p><p>So cold.</p><p>It was cold.</p><p>So cold.</p><p>She needed warmth.</p><p> </p><p>“N-No…”</p><p>She needed warmth…</p><p>She reached for Mello’s hand, but the moment their fingers touched, he retracted his hand.</p><p>She put her arms around herself instead.</p><p> </p><p>“I want to tell you something, (Y/N).”</p><p>(Y/N) nodded.</p><p>“I’m the leader of the Mafia.”</p><p>She stopped in her tracks. “W-what?”</p><p>“And lately, I’ve been receiving reports of weapons being stolen from our bases. I’ve managed to trace it to two girls who live close by. Guess who they are?”</p><p> </p><p>“…Well, you guessed it. What are you going to do now?”</p><p> </p><p>“…Nothing. We have plenty of reserves, unlike you, I assume.”</p><p>“But…why did you tell me this?”</p><p>Mello looked at (Y/N), making her squirm even more.</p><p> </p><p>“…You shouldn’t be with me, you know. I’m a bad person,” said Mello, averting his eyes. <em>Where did that come from?</em></p><p>“You can’t be a bad person, Mello. You’ve tried your best to keep me safe, even though <em>technically </em>those attempts were unsolicited.”</p><p>“But…you’re someone who risks her life to fight for good, and I’m…a criminal.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) smiled and hugged him. <em>He’s…so warm.</em></p><p>“If it counts for anything, I’ll <em>always</em> I'll <em>always</em> care for you. Always”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three four, should fall</p><p>Then there’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Near: Confession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) sighed, and looked at Near’s room.</p><p>“He’s got Lego <em>everywhere…” </em>she sighed. “He’s going to hurt himself…”</p><p>She looked around. <em>Well…</em></p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) dropped to her knees and began to clean the room.</p><p>“The Legos go in that box, which you place in that shelf.”</p><p>(Y/N) blinked. “Near?”</p><p>“I suppose you don’t like the state of my room.”</p><p>“Well, you should clean it more often.”</p><p>Near pulled out a photo of (Y/N)’s own room, taken when she was under surveillance. “Then what’s this?”</p><p>“H-hey! I was under stress! I didn’t have time for that!”</p><p> </p><p>Near laughed, an unusual thing.</p><p>“Alright, you don’t have to do this all by yourself,” he said, “I’ll help you.”</p><hr/><p>It was an easy task, actually. Cleaning the room.</p><p>“So, what have you been doing these past few weeks, Near?” asked (Y/N).</p><p>“I’ve been helping L.”</p><p>“With what?”</p><p>“Making preparations,” he said simply.</p><p>“For what?”</p><p>“Confidential.”</p><p>“I see.” (Y/N) nodded. “Well…so when the Kira case is over, what will you do?”</p><p>“I’ll go back to America, most likely,” said Near. “But I won’t like it as much as I used to.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“It’ll be lonely without you.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) looked away. “I suppose you’ll have to get used to it, then,” she said sadly.</p><p> </p><p>Near looked at her. “(Y/N)…”</p><p> </p><p>It hit Near.</p><p>If (Y/N) did die, she would die, and Near would never be able to tell her how he felt.</p><p>Never.</p><p> </p><p>And so, he blurted out, “I like you.”</p><p>“W-what…” (Y/N)’s eyes widened.</p><p>“I love you,” said Near, grabbing her hand. “I’m sure that’s what I’m feeling. I’ve suspected for a while now, but now, I’m sure. So…I love you.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) smiled painfully. She kissed Near.</p><p> </p><p>Near felt his heart leap, until he registered the salty taste of tears.</p><p>“Near…you have to find someone else.” (Y/N) smiled sadly. “You…you have your whole life ahead of you. And my life…it’s already over.”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three four, should fall</p><p>Then there’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Matt: Fade Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Matt looked at (Y/N) as she carefully picked out a weapon from the Mafia’s Tokyo HQ.</p><p>“No good, no good, aha!”</p><p>She selected a handgun, testing its weight.</p><p>“Perfect.” She smiled, and prepared to leave, when…</p><p>“(Y/N), what are you doing in here?” Matt entered, crossing his arms.</p><p>“A-ahhh…” She was in her Magical Girl outfit, and Matt briefly acknowledged the fact that she was stuffing the gun up her skirt.</p><p>“Thief! Magical Girl thief!” screamed one of the gang members, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. “Catch h-”</p><p> </p><p>Matt hit him over the head, and the gang member collapsed to the ground.</p><p>“False alarm, everyone!” called out Matt loudly. “Eddie’s just been drinking again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Now…would you care to explain?” said (Y/N), putting a hand on her hip.</p><p>“I should be saying that!”</p><hr/><p>“So, you’re part of the Mafia…” said (Y/N), taking a sip out of her tea.</p><p>“Yeah.</p><p>“Can you say any more?”</p><p>“Confidential. Sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t be.” (Y/N) took a sip from the drink Matt had offered her. “Secrets are secrets.”</p><p>“Speaking of secrets, what were you doing at Mafia HQ?”</p><p>“Stocking up?”</p><p>“On what?”</p><p>“Weapons.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah…” Matt’s thoughts fell into place. “So, you’re the culprit…”</p><p>“Culprit?”</p><p>“Do you think we wouldn’t have noticed the number of weapons going missing?”</p><p>She raised an eyebrow. “You must be joking. I didn’t even take that many…the Mafia’s running low on weapons?”</p><p>“Ay, s-” He cut himself off when (Y/N) gave him the hairy eyeball.</p><p>“Not a big deal. It’s not like I’m planning to stage an attack anytime soon.” She smiled. “Or am I?”</p><p>“Don’t do that,” groaned Matt.</p><p> </p><p>“Out of curiosity, how did you end up here?”</p><p>“…” Matt briefly considered. “Mello needed to join a gang where he could control everything without actually controlling everything. And so here I am.”</p><p>“Hm…he’s much more cunning than he seems.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, I’d better leave now,” said (Y/N), looking down. “I need to train Misa.”</p><p>“…” Did Matt want to say something more? He didn’t know anymore. “Alright. Goodbye.”</p><p>(Y/N) suddenly kissed him on the cheek. “L-love you,” she stammered. She ran away, fading into the distance.</p><hr/><p>He wondered if he was in a dream or a nightmare.</p><p>Matt was pretty sure he was asleep because there was no way he was awake.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know where (Y/N) is?” he asked Dream-Mello again.</p><p>“Who the hell is (Y/N)?” Dream-Mello took bite out of his chocolate. “Some hooker?”</p><p>“She isn’t a hooker; she’s working on the Kira case with us!”</p><p>“Look, Matt, I don’t have time for this! We have to beat Near and get revenge for L.”</p><p>“Wait, I thought we were working with Near. Why would we beat him?”</p><p>“What the hell? Are you on drugs or something?”</p><p><br/>The dream flashed.</p><p> </p><p>“Linda…”</p><p>“You have to go, Matt!” screamed Linda. “You can’t fight it!”</p><p> </p><p>It flashed again.</p><p> </p><p>Men standing in front of him, guns aimed. They looked like police.</p><p>“Death is the only way to pay for crimes against Kira.”</p><p> </p><p>They shot, and-</p><p>Time stopped.</p><p> </p><p>“Good thing I’m here to rescue you,” laughed (Y/N), her arms wrapped around him, her body strangely ethereal, ghost-like, almost. “But I won’t be here forever, so you have to take care of yourself, okay, Matt? Love you.”</p><hr/><p>And Matt woke up.</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three four, should fall</p><p>Then there’ll be one Magical Girl left, waiting for her fall.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Bonus Chapter: My Very Best Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Madoka was getting ready for bed, reaching for her ribbons to untie them-</p><p>Her hands grasped at nothingness, and she realised that her pink locks were free, loose in a short bob.</p><p>“Ah…” she said to no one in particular. “I gave them to Homura…”</p><p> </p><p>How long had it been since she had last seen Homura? A decade? Two decades? It felt like forever; Madoka wouldn’t know. Time had become difficult for her ever since she had become the Law of Cycles…</p><hr/><p>Homura had been sipping tea on her own for some time now. She felt that there wasn’t enough sugar, and too little milk. Homura always liked her tea with lots of milk and sugar; it was how the nice lady with the food cart had made it for her back in hospital.</p><p>Homura took another sip from her tea.</p><p> </p><p>A gentle breeze.</p><p> </p><p>Homura’s red ribbon flew in the wind, the bow ever-so-carefully tied around her head, holding back her glossy black hair.</p><p>She stared at her reflection in the dark liquid.</p><p>
  <em>Madoka…</em>
</p><p>The name was like a distant dream, a dream so fragile that Homura feared that if she should focus on it, it would shatter completely.</p><p>Except it wasn’t a dream, it was a memory. The ribbon proved it.</p><p>That beautiful red ribbon which Homura treasured so much, along with the name she would sometimes whisper to herself whilst crying…</p><p>
  <em>Madoka…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Another breeze…</p><p> </p><p>“Homura…”</p><p>Homura raised her head. Her eyes widened.</p><p>“M-Madoka?”</p><p> </p><p>It couldn’t be.</p><p>It couldn’t be.</p><p>And yet…</p><p><br/>“Wh-what are you doing…” Homura trailed off as a tear ran down her cheek.</p><p>Madoka looked the same as before, except her pink locks were loose.</p><p>Madoka smiled. “I’m here to see you, Homura!”</p><p>“M-Me…” Homura didn’t know what to say.</p><p>“I wanted to…well…” Madoka laughed nervously. “This is a little awkward…”</p><p>Homura continued gaping like a goldfish.</p><p>“Um…so…I got lonely,” said Madoka, looking down. “And I wanted to spend some time with my best friend!”</p><p>“Best friend…”</p><p>“Come on, Homura, let’s go!”</p><p> </p><p>Madoka grabbed Homura by the hand.</p><hr/><p>They went shopping together, strangely enough.</p><p>“I don’t have any money…” sighed Madoka, looking at the cotton candy stand. “Shame…”</p><p>Homura looked at Madoka and walked up to the stand. “Excuse me,” she said. “May I please have one cotton candy?”</p><p>“Of course!” The lady handling the stand swirled a stick in the machine, swirled the stick round and round, and Homura couldn’t help it, she was mesmerized-</p><p>“Here you go. That would be-” The lady recited the cost.</p><p>Homura wordlessly handed over the money and took the stick.</p><p> </p><p>“Here you go.” Homura offered Madoka the cotton candy.</p><p>“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” squealed Madoka. She immediately took it, and bit into it. Madoka looked at Homura. “Would you like some?”</p><p>Homura looked at the cotton candy. “It’s yours, Madoka.”</p><p>“But I would like you to have it, though.”</p><p>It did look tasty…</p><p>Homura took a bite. The treat melted in her mouth, and she licked her lips.</p><p>“Thank you,” she said.</p><p>“Don’t thank me,” said Madoka, smiling. She looked so…happy.</p><hr/><p>They were in a photobooth now.</p><p>“Smile!” shouted Madoka.</p><p>Homura didn’t smile. The photos printed out displayed her usual stoic expression.</p><p>“Homura, please smile,” said Madoka. “You look so much nicer when you smile.”</p><p>Homura smiled.</p><p> </p><p>Madoka was right, Homura looked happier in these photos…</p><p>She noticed two fingers sticking up behind her head in the photos, resembling bunny ears.</p><p>“Madoka, did you…”</p><p>Madoka laughed.</p><p>Homura promptly took out a black pen and drew a moustache on Madoka’s face in the photos. “There,” said Homura, breaking out into a smile. “Now we’re even.”</p><p>“Hey!”</p><hr/><p>Homura had always figured that she would probably forget how to function and become a babbling mess if Madoka were to visit. When it came to Madoka, Homura was always a little nervous.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s so nice to see you after so long,” said Madoka. “So long, so so long, so so so long…” Madoka’s lip trembled.</p><p>“Madoka? A-Are you alright?”</p><p>Madoka burst into tears.</p><p>“Madoka!”</p><p> </p><p>Homura reached over to Madoka and hugged her. “What happened?”</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Homura!” bawled Madoka. “I’m so selfish. I don’t want to, but I have to…I don’t want to leave you!”<br/><br/></p><p>Homura teared up suddenly. “Don’t leave me!” wailed Homura. “I wanted to see you, for so long, and now…”</p><p> </p><p>They wept in each other’s arms, passer-bys shooting them strange looks.</p><p> </p><p>At last, Madoka fell silent.</p><p>So did Homura.</p><p> </p><p>“I have to, Homura,” she said. “It’s for our own good.”</p><p>“Madoka…” Homura’s voice cracked.</p><p> </p><p>Madoka floated out of Homura’s arms, into the sky, like the Goddess she was. “This is goodbye, Homura.” Madoka smiled sadly. “I hope you’ll be happy without me. And, I’ll always be with you, thinking of you, even though you won’t remember me.”</p><p>“Madoka!” screamed Homura. “Don’t leave me! I love you!”</p><p> </p><p>Was that a ‘<em>I love you too’ </em>that Homura heard?</p><p> </p><p>She wouldn’t know, because just like that, Madoka was gone. And so were Homura’s memories, those distant dreams blown away by a ghost of an ethereal wind.</p><p>Nothing but writing on sand.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Rise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The above picture is (Y/N)'s new look!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  
</p><p>The girls stood their ground as they watched Walpurgisnacht advance towards the shelter.</p><p>“Misa…” said the girl. “If you want to turn back, now’s the time.”</p><p>Misa shook her head and smiled warmly. “I’m staying right here.” She winked. “What kind of best friend would I be if I abandoned you?”</p><p>The girl smiled back.</p><p> </p><p>Her gaze scanned the horizon, and she spotted the Task Force, all of them entering the shelter.</p><p>She waved.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Ryuzaki,” said the girl. “Apparently our city’s being evacuated.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It wasn’t hard to pull some strings,” said L. “I am L, after all.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Has everyone left?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>L sipped his cup of tea. “Well, the urban population has been evacuated without much troub-”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Has everyone left?” repeated the girl.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…No. The prison population was left for last due to some complications, and a lot of the civilians too, and they’re still here. I expect there are a lot of people who haven’t been accounted for. But they’re only 10% of the city.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“They’re all people, aren’t they? And if they’re people, then I’ll fight for them.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She wondered if they could see her.</p><p> </p><p>Light waved back hesitantly.</p><p>Mello waved too, mouthing, ‘Don’t you dare die on me.’</p><p> </p><p>The girl laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“So, (Y/N), are we stocked up on weapons?” asked Misa.</p><p>“Well, yeah. L ended up giving me a bunch from his artillery.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’ve received some info recently. Have you been stealing weapons from gangs nearby?” asked L.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh…was it that obvious?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>L typed something on his computer. “I can arrange a delivery, if you like.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The girl’s eyes widened.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Wow!” Misa punched the air. “We get to bring out the big guns, not those crap excuses of weapons!”</p><p>“Misa, how could you?! I picked them out!”</p><p>“S-sorry!”</p><p>The girl laughed. “Only joking.”</p><p> </p><p>The laughter faded as they felt the wind becoming stronger.</p><p>“It’s coming closer,” murmured the girl. “Are you ready?”</p><p>“You know it!”</p><p> </p><p>A flash of light…</p><p> </p><p>Madoka and the Shinigami King watched from above.</p><p>“This is it,” said Madoka. “This is where they…”</p><p>“Madoka…” said the Shinigami King. “I never expected <em>it</em> to be true…”</p><p>“I didn’t either,” said Madoka. “The prophecy…or vision, you might say. Or a feeling…”</p><p>“When comes down to it, will (Y/N) (L/N)…”</p><p>“Yes, she will.” Madoka’s eyes gleamed. “She is strong. Stronger than she knows.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“What would you do for your world?” asked Madoka.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Anything,” answered the girl.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Why?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Because it’s my world. And it’s where the people I care about are, so I have to treasure it, you know?” The girl laughed. “Try to make a difference. A good difference.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I have faith in her,” said Madoka.</p><p> </p><p>Light watched as the two girls transformed.</p><p><em>This is it, </em>he thought as they prepared for battle. <em>This is where they fight. This is where they sacrifice themselves.</em></p><p>He clenched his fist. The people who had taken refuge along with him were talking, the sounds echoing, but Light was lost in his own thoughts.</p><p>
  <em>I’m such an idiot.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Walpurgisnacht loomed over the two girls.</p><p>Misa’s chainsaw whirred.</p><p>The girl’s knives gleamed, the sheer coldness of the silver metal’s ice magic making it smoke in the air.</p><p> </p><p>A laugh, the Witch’s laugh.</p><p>The battle began…</p><hr/><p>Misa Amane’s breath was ragged as she breathed. Blood dripped from a wound from her forehead, as she struggled to lift her chainsaw.</p><p>Her Soul Gem was clouded with darkness.</p><p>Her legs collapsed under her, unable to take her weight anymore.</p><p> </p><p>Her world blurred around her.</p><p>“Misa!” screamed the girl, Misa barely registering her voice.</p><p><em>Mom, Dad, Sakura, (Y/N)…</em>Misa thought dully. <em>I’m sorry.</em></p><p> </p><p>The girl lifted Misa and ran to the shelter. She tried clearing Misa’s Soul Gem, only managing to clear part of it before the Grief reached its limit.</p><p>“That’s my last one,” she said, eyes tearing up. “You’ll have to stay here, okay?”</p><p>Misa nodded, and smiled weakly. “I’ll be fine, (Y/N). Don’t worry.”</p><p>The girl hugged Misa one last time, then walked away.</p><p> </p><p>The girl looked up at Walpurgisnacht.</p><p>
  <em>I’ll do this on my own, then.</em>
</p><p>She smiled.</p><p>A tear dripped down her cheek.</p><hr/><p>One breath.</p><p>Two breaths.</p><p>Three breaths.</p><p> </p><p>Walpurgisnacht’s laughing echoed in her ears.</p><p>The ground was rough, and the rocks were sharp against her skin. She tried to get up, but screamed in pain, and collapsed.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N)…she screamed…” said Mello.</p><p>“She’s…” Light looked on in horror. “She’s going to…”</p><p>Mello began to run. “I’m going after her!”</p><p>“No, Mello!” shouted Matt, grabbing him.</p><p>“Let me go! I need to help her!”</p><p>“I know you want to help her; we all do.” Near looked at Mello. “But we can’t fight it. We…we can’t do anything.”</p><p>“Dammit.” Mello’s eye began welling up. “Goddammit! Why don’t You <em>do </em>something for once in Your, life, huh!?” he screamed at the sky. “Or do You like to watch us suffer!” His hand went to the rosary around his neck. “Some god You are.”</p><p>L looked out of the window.</p><p>“Some god He is,” he echoed.</p><p> </p><p>The girl was covered in purple liquid, Walpurgisnacht’s blood, a light purple.</p><p>Her Soul Gem had darkened, as dark as the everlasting night which threatened to steal her away.</p><p> </p><p>She looked at Walpurgisnacht, how it laughed, how it wreaked havoc, and couldn’t help but think about how <em>small </em>she was compared to it. How insignificant, in the wake of its eternal despair.</p><p>
  <em>If only…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>If only I could…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>A fourth breath…</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Where am I?</em>
</p><p>Her eyes drifted open.</p><p>
  <em>What is this place?</em>
</p><p>Her mind searched for a word, any word…</p><p>
  <em>Nothing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Am I…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Am I dead?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The thought hit her like a bolt of lightning.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>No…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I can’t die…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I have to save them!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She began flailing, screaming, hoping for something, anything-</p><hr/><p>The Shinigami King loomed before her, Soul Gem in hand.</p><p><em>Her </em>Soul Gem.</p><p> </p><p>“Help them!” she screamed.</p><p>“With what?”</p><p>“They’ll die if no one saves them!”</p><p>“Ah…” The King chuckled.</p><p>“Help them! Please!” she screamed again.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>A shimmer of rose-coloured light, and Madoka appeared before the girl.</p><p>“The lifespans of everyone there…they end today.” Madoka’s voice was solemn.</p><p>“…They can’t die!” the girl wailed.</p><p>“You can’t change fate. Not unless…” Madoka trailed off.</p><p>“Madoka is right,” said the Shinigami King. “A mortal like yourself cannot go against what is written. But…” His expression was indiscernible. “(Y/N) (L/N)…what would you give for the ability to change fate?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl was silent. Until she said…</p><p>“Anything.”</p><hr/><p>Kyubey looked down calmly as (Y/N) (L/N)’s pitch-black Soul Gem shattered.</p><p>It waited.</p><p>Waited.</p><p>Waited.</p><p> </p><p>A shimmering light illuminated the shards of (Y/N)’s Soul Gem from within.</p><p>Kyubey blinked. <em>This isn’t typical for a Transformation…</em></p><p> </p><p>A shimmering silhouette emerged from the light.</p><p>
  <em>This is highly unusual. I should stay, observe, then report my findings.</em>
</p><p>So it observed.</p><p> </p><p>The silhouette walked calmly towards Walpurgisnacht, the light fading away slowly.</p><p>A beautiful dark dress, oddly gothic, adorned her body, black ribbon tied around her waist, and lace and frills all over. The dress looked strangely washed out, faded, with its colours of black and grey and blue-grey. Kyubey observed the strange fact that she was wearing shoes, ballerina flats, with ribbons tied around her legs, despite the fact that her feet weren’t touching the ground.</p><p> </p><p>And the girl herself…</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) (L/N) smiled peacefully as Walpurgisnacht let out another laugh.</p><p>“Don’t worry.” She raised her arms to the sky, and a black scythe manifested in her hands. “I can change fate now. And I’ll change your fate, so you don’t end up this way.”</p><p> </p><p>Magic old as time itself swept across the horizon as she raised the scythe.</p><p> </p><p>“A mortal can’t change fate…” said the Shinigami King, appearing at (Y/N)’s left.</p><p>“…but a Goddess can,” finished Madoka, appearing on (Y/N)’s right.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) (L/N) brought down the scythe…</p><hr/><p>Alice Wammy collapsed to the ground; all her strength gone.</p><p>Her outfit faded away, and she let out a shuddering breath, feeling the hate and despair rising inside her, rising until she was about to burst…</p><p>She wished to whatever God there was out there to save her…</p><p> </p><p>A shimmer of light…</p><p> </p><p>A Girl appeared before her, wearing a gown, and holding Her hands out to Alice. The Girl smiled at Alice, a smile so peaceful and warm and full of hope…</p><p>“Thank you, Alice,” She said, speaking.</p><p>“I…” A tear ran down Alice Wammy’s cheek.</p><p>“It’s alright. You don’t have to suffer anymore. Just take my hand…”</p><p>Alice took Her hand...</p><p> </p><p>Linda rushed over to where Alice Wammy once lay. “Alice?” she called out. “Where is she?”</p><p>The older girl next to her sighed. “Alice is in a better place now, Linda.”</p><p>“Sh-she’s…”</p><p>The older girl smiled. “Don’t worry. Once our Soul Gems are completely black, we’ll be taken away by the Law of Cycles, and we’ll fade away.”</p><p>“Fade away…”</p><p>“It’s a nice way to go.” The older girl stared off into the distance. “Everyone who had been taken never failed to smile.”</p><hr/><p>Misa Amane browsed through the store’s racks, searching for something for her sister Sakura to wear. She couldn’t take too long, though, or else she would be late for dinner, and her mother would give her apple pie to the non-existent family dog…</p><p> </p><p>Misa’s eyes fell on a cute sweater, and her first thought was, <em>That would look super cute on (Y/N)!</em></p><p> </p><p>Her second thought was, <em>Who is (Y/N)?</em></p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, who will rise above them all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Epilogue(?)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>And thus concludes this story of the Death Note.</p><p> </p><p>Only a God has the power to change what already has been written, and so that a God is what (Y/N) became, taking the mantle of the wishes of all Magical Girls upon her, and the despair of those humans struck down by the Shinigami too.</p><p> </p><p>And at this note I finally lay my pen down, having recorded everything that I needed to.</p><p>I bid you farewell, dear reader.</p><p> </p><p>Signed,</p><p>
  <s>XXX</s>
</p>
<hr/><p>If our dear Narrator has finally laid down her pen, then it only makes sense that I, Firefly, should pick it up.</p><p>Perhaps the story Death Note has ended, but the tale of (Y/N) (L/N) is certainly not over.</p><p> </p><p>She fell in love, didn't she? And love is a story with no end.</p><p> </p><p>This isn't the end. Do you want to know why? Because (Y/N) still loved him. And if she still loved him...</p><p>The true end will be written down.</p><p>The end in which the two fated lovers will meet again.</p><p> </p><p>And I...</p><p>I will be the one to write it down.</p>
<hr/><p>Latin: Puella Deus Mortem Magicae</p><p>English: The Girl God of Death Magic</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Light: When the Clock Strikes Thirteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey Ryuk,” said the Shinigami who wore goggles on his head. “I can’t look into the Human World.”</p><p>“Oh,” Ryuk responded carelessly. “The clock must have struck thirteen.”</p><p>“How is that possible?”</p><p>“It’s a funny story, actually.” Ryuk laughed. “Kinda romantic too. I’ll tell you, but only if…”</p><p>“Yes, yes, I know.” The Shinigami tossed Ryuk an apple. Ryuk caught it, and eagerly devoured it. “Tastes like crap.” He licked his lips. “Well, it went something like this…”</p><hr/><p>Light Yagami was bored.</p><p>He stared out of the window as the teacher rambled on, not really paying attention, gazing at that far off future he was bound to.</p><p>
  <em>Same old thing, day after day…what a bore.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This world is a rotten mess.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The black notebook fell from the sky.</p><p> </p><p>Light’s eyes widened.</p><p>
  <em>A notebook?</em>
</p><hr/><p>Light walked outside the school, looking at the black notebook that he had seen.</p><p>He crouched.</p><p>Skin touched paper…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Ow!” said (Y/N).</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, are you alright?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’m a Kira suspect,” he had told the girl behind the wall.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What a coincidence. So am I,” she had responded.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Let’s say…that I’m destined to die. That I’m destined to turn into a monster. What…what would you think of me then?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Light leaned into (Y/N). “I’d…I’d love you anyways,” he whispered.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>A tear ran down her cheek, and Light realised (Y/N) was crying. “Thank you, Light. To bring hope…that’s all I ever wanted.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Y/N)…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Magic old as time itself swept the horizon as (Y/N) raised her scythe.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Y/N)…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>How…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Light realised that he was crying.</p><p>He swiftly wiped away his tears, and picked up the notebook, placing it in his bag.</p><p> </p><p>He walked home.</p><hr/><p>Ryuk flew in the direction of Light’s house, leathery wings spread as he laughed. <em>This should be fun.</em></p><p>Light sat at his desk, carefully stroking pen on paper.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi there,” said Ryuk, waiting for the scream.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi there, Ryuk.” Light put down his pen, and turned to face said Shinigami, smiling. “I’ve been expecting you.” He tossed an apple to him. “Here you go.”</p><p>Ryuk was confused, but devoured the apple, nonetheless. “How do you know my name?” he asked between chews.</p><p>Light laughed. “Oh, it’s a long story. I doubt you’d have the patience for it. Now, would you answer some of my questions? I have a lot of them.”</p><p>“Um…” Ryuk was confused, but he decided that the best course of action would be to go with the flow. “Ok.”</p><p>“Alright then. Tell me who <em>she </em>is.”</p><p> </p><p> Light held up the piece of paper. The portrait of a young girl, drawn carefully in pen, was illustrated on the paper.</p><p>Ryuk recognised that face…</p><p>“That’s the Law of Cycles.”</p><p> </p><p>Light’s eyes flashed with something dangerous, and Ryuk knew that boredom would be a thing of the past. “Care to elaborate?”</p><p> </p><p>“…Well, so there are these people called Magical-”</p><p>“I know what Magical Girls are, Ryuk. Just tell me who she is,” interrupted Light.</p><p>“Well, she’s the one who takes away the souls of Magical Girls,” said Ryuk, slightly unnerved. “And the souls of some humans, too.”</p><p>“Some humans?”</p><p>“She takes the soul of humans who have been killed with the Death Note,” said Ryuk. “Speaking of which…” Ryuk picked up said notebook, which was lying on the bed. “You haven’t written any names. What a bore.”</p><p>“I had no use for it, so why should I write names?” said Light carelessly, yawning.</p><p> </p><p>Ryuk blinked. “You’re one strange human, you know that?”</p><p>Light smiled predatorily. “Oh, I know that Ryuk.”</p><p> </p><p>“And how do you know about the Law of Cycles?” asked Ryuk. “No living mortal has ever seen her.”</p><p>Light’s expression turned into something dreamy, something loving, and Ryuk fancied, something a little bit obsessive. “How do I know about her?” He stroked the paper gently. “She’s the love of my life.”</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) descended to the Human World as she looked at the Yellowbox Warehouse, face betraying nothing at the memories came flooding back.</p><p> </p><p>She walked inside gracefully.</p><p>The human was lying in the middle of the floor, arms on chest. He looked strangely peaceful, despite the fact that at that very minute, he was dying.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) looked at the human closely and jolted with shock.</p><p>“Light?”</p><p> </p><p>Light’s eyes drifted open.</p><p>“Who are you?” he whispered.</p><p>(Y/N) regained her composure, and smiled, even though she wanted to cry. “I’m here to help you pass on,” she said. “You just have to take my hand.”</p><p>“I…have to take your hand?” asked Light dreamily.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) offered her hand to Light.</p><p>Light reached out…</p><p> </p><p>Grabbing her arm fiercely and pulling her down to him.</p><p>“Light?”</p><p>His arms circled round her waist, and his grip was like hard, unyielding, iron.</p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p>He smiled.</p><p>“Let me go!”</p><p> </p><p>Light laughed. “I’ll never let you go.”</p><p>He kissed her, and in that moment, she shattered, he shattered, everything shattered-</p><p>The clock struck thirteen.</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) woke up yawning.</p><p>She rubbed her eyes, and looked at her room.</p><p>
  <em>So messy…</em>
</p><p>She would have to clean it up later.</p><p> </p><p>She checked her phone, looking at the calendar-</p><p>She stopped.</p><p>And screamed.</p><p>“Aaaaah!” She jumped to her feet. “I have a date with Light in one hour!”</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) walked to the Yagami household, looking around.</p><p>A group of young boys waved to her. “Hey! I like your outfit!” shouted one of them.</p><p>“Thanks!” she said, smiling and waving back.</p><p>She finally reached her destination, and so, she rang the doorbell.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, (Y/N)!” chirped Sayu, opening the door. “Light’s not ready yet, so you can wait in the living room.”</p><p>“Thanks, Sayu,” said (Y/N).</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) sat in the living room, talking with Sayu.</p><p>“Hey, (Y/N),” said Sayu suddenly. “Guess what? I drew fanart of you and Light!”</p><p>(Y/N) began to heat up. “Wh-what f-f-f-fanart?”</p><p>Sayu beamed. “Do you wanna see?”</p><p>“S-s-s-see?”</p><p>“I’ll go get it from my room, just wait a sec!”</p><p> </p><p>Sayu began to walk to her room but bumped into a tall figure.</p><p>Her brother.</p><p>“Sayu…fanart? Really?”</p><p>Sayu pouted. “(Y/N) agreed!”</p><p>Light glanced at (Y/N)’s stuttering, heated form. “I’m pretty sure she didn’t. Now, run along,” he said playfully.</p><p>Sayu obliged. “I’ll e-mail them to you later, (Y/N)!”</p><p> </p><p>Light poured some water on (Y/N), who immediately recovered.</p><p>“H-hey Light…” said (Y/N). “You look…really…”</p><p>“Well, I have to look my best, especially since I have such a pretty girlfriend.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) heated up, then calmed down.</p><p>
  <em>Ok, here goes, here goes…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Ah…ah…” She took a deep breath. “Well, you’re so handsome, that you made me forget my pick-up line.”</p><p> </p><p>“…” Light was silent.</p><p>“I-it’s the best I can do, ok?” She turned her head away. “I-I’m not good with flirting…”</p><p>“You don’t need to flirt,” said Light, chuckling. “We’re already dating.”</p><p>“Well, so why do <em>you </em>flirt all the time?”</p><p>Light smirked. “Oh, come on. I just can’t resist.”</p><p> </p><p>“L-let’s go!” she said, standing up. “I-I don’t want to look at your face anymore!”</p><p>“You weren’t saying that when we were-”</p><p>“Shut up!”</p><hr/><p>The apple captivated her. Her fingers fit perfectly around it, and it was a beautiful, ruby red.</p><p>“(Y/N)?”</p><p>“Can I have this apple?” she asked suddenly.</p><p>“Alright, miss.”</p><p>She paid.</p><p> </p><p>“An apple?” asked Light, smiling.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>She shrugged. “Because.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Can I have an apple?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re gonna get fat one day, Ryuk.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Shinigami don’t get fat.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She took a bite.</p><p>
  <em>Shinigami…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Why did I think that?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“We should go to Spaceland,” suggested Light.</p><p>“No, the last time we went, you took me on a rollercoaster ride. Never again.”</p><p>“How about we just talk instead?”</p><p>“Talk?” (Y/N) smiled. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”</p><p> </p><p>So they talked. Talked, sitting in that café (Y/N) and Light were so familiar with.</p><p>“Well, sometimes I can’t help but think how lucky I am,” confided (Y/N). “I live in such a nice place, where no-one does anything bad, and every day is exciting. But…” she stared into her coffee cup. “Everything feels so <em>wrong, </em>Light. I keep on wondering to myself, what if I’m not supposed to be here? What if…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“(Y/N) (L/N)…what would you give for the ability to change fate?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Anything.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“You’re supposed to be here, (Y/N),” said Light, smiling. “Right here.” He stroked her cheek. “Right by my side.” His thumb stopped on the corner of her lips. “Right where I can see you.”</p><p>He kissed her.</p><p> </p><p>They separated; her cheeks flushed with heat-</p><p> </p><p>There.</p><p>Right there.</p><p>In the corner.</p><p> </p><p>Ryuk the Shinigami laughed. That laughter (Y/N) was so familiar.</p><p>So familiar…</p><p>So familiar…</p><p>So familiar…</p><p> </p><p>It flooded back.</p><p> </p><p>She stood up, spilling her coffee.</p><p>“What am I doing here?”</p><p>She looked at Light, her eyes full of something that can only be called confusion.</p><p>“What did you do, Light?”</p><p> </p><p>Light sighed. “I guess it was only natural. I wasn’t able to erase your memories, only bury them deep into your subconscious, so the only way to keep you ignorant was to make sure that you didn’t see anything that would trigger them. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that you would be able to see Ryuk.”</p><p> </p><p>“You…what happened?” She looked around. “There’s no crime. There’s no wars. No…You stripped away my power so you could create your <em>New World? </em>How dare you!” She looked furious, clenching her fists tightly.</p><p>“How dare <em>you,” </em>said Light darkly. “How dare you assume that I would take advantage of you like that.”</p><p> </p><p>He stood up, and slowly walked to her.</p><p>His arms went around her waist, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck as she stood still, startled.</p><p> </p><p>He inhaled deeply, and sighed, “This world means nothing to me, (Y/N). It’s not even real. I suppose it’s what you would call a Labyrinth. The only thing which matters to me is <em>you.” </em>He smiled. “I can burn it all down if you want. Or it can become a paradise. This world is yours to pick and choose, (Y/N). But I just want you to stay with me. Forever.”</p><p>(Y/N) wrestled her way out of Light’s grip.</p><p> </p><p>“I am the Law of Cycles,” she said. “I can’t let you keep me here. I can’t let this world stay in a Labyrinth. So-” And here she transformed, into her Goddess attire “-I am leaving. Goodbye.”</p><p> </p><p>A deadly silence.</p><p> </p><p>“Well…” Light’s eyes narrowed, and just like that, the world faded into a wasteland, with storm clouds gathering and lighting crackling.</p><p>“If you’re a Goddess now…” Angelic wings rose from Light’s back, and a golden sword appeared in his hands.</p><p>“That would make me the Devil, I suppose. Because I’m going to keep you here, (Y/N). I won’t let you leave.”</p><p> </p><p>“Light, I don’t want to hurt you.” A black scythe appeared in her hands. “But I can, and <em>will</em> fight my way out of here.”</p><p> </p><p>Light smiled. “I don’t want to fight you either, (Y/N). But if that what it takes to keep you here, <em>then so be it.”</em></p><p> </p><p>Thunder boomed in the sky.</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) (L/N) raised her scythe.</p><p>Light was lying at her feet, tired looking, although his caramel eyes still pierced right through her.</p><p> </p><p>She was the Law of Cycles.</p><p>Light was a Demon.</p><p>And therefore…</p><p> </p><p>She brought down the scythe…</p><p> </p><p>Stopping an inch from Light’s heart.</p><p>“I can’t,” she sobbed. “I can’t. You <em>idiot. </em>I still love you, you idiot. Why did you have to do this? Why? Why couldn’t you just forget about me? Why couldn’t have you fallen in love with someone else? Why couldn’t you just…” Tears ran down her cheeks. “Now I have to kill you, but I can’t. <em>I can’t. </em>Why are you hurting me like this?”</p><p>She laid down her scythe, and collapsing onto the ground, she began to cry.</p><p> </p><p>Light stood up and looked at her sobbing form.</p><p>He reached over, and pulled her close to his chest, his large wings shielding her form.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He wanted to keep her, but…</p><p>How can he when it was like <em>this?</em></p><p>With her in so much pain…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>An endless stalemate…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The thought hit him.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll forfeit.”</p><p>(Y/N) looked up. “What?”</p><p>“I’ll see you next time, (Y/N). When the clock strikes thirteen…” Light kissed her gently, his form fading away. “So don’t cry. I’ll beat you eventually, and when I do…” He smiled against her mouth. “We’ll be together forever.”</p><p>And thus, Light Yagami faded away…</p><hr/><p>“And to this day, whenever the clock strikes thirteen, Light Yagami engulfs the Human Realm in his Labyrinth, and the Law of Cycles descends to the Earth to stop him,” narrated Ryuk. “They spend time together, and eventually, fight. The Law of Cycles beats Light, and the Human Realm is returned to normal.”</p><p>“…” The Shinigami took this all in for a moment. “Hey Ryuk…do you think the Law of Cycles will ever let Light win?”</p><p>Ryuk considered the question. “Well…” He took a bite out of an apple. “The Law of Cycles will be there to protect universe for as long as it exists. So…I suppose…she’ll let Light win when she has nothing to protect anymore. When Time comes to an end.”</p><p> </p><p>The Shinigami blinked. “Light will win when Time comes to an end. Is that even possible?”</p><p><br/>Ryuk looked off into the distance. “Who knows? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s not really of our concern.”</p><p>“Yeah, I suppose not.”</p><hr/><p>The Shinigami raised his wings and flew into the Human Realm.</p><p>
  <em>This ‘love’…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I would like to know what it is.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, who will rise above them all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. L: Simp</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Y/N) gritted her teeth and cursed as she drove.</p><p>“Goddammit L!” she shouted into her earpiece. “They’re gaining on me! When are you going to send those reinforcements?”</p><p>
  <em>“They’ll be here in a few more minutes, just be patient.”</em>
</p><p>“How can I be patient, L! I am literally in a car-chase!”</p><p>
  <em>“…Fair point.”</em>
</p><p>“Ugh, I don’t get why I’m doing this for you, you bastard!”</p><p>
  <em>“Because you’re a simp.”</em>
</p><p>“…Touché.”</p><p> </p><p>She saw a cliff, a canyon coming right up ahead of her as she drove.</p><p>“L, there’s a cliff. I’m going to have to do it.”</p><p>
  <em>“(Y/N), the risk-”</em>
</p><p>“No other options, babe.” (Y/N) cursed again.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) increased the speed, more and more and more-</p><p>The car leaped over the gigantic gap and landed on the other side with a loud screech.</p><p><br/>(Y/N) calmly stepped out of the car, and smirked at the men who were chasing her, stuck on the other side of the canyon, and yelled, “How about that, suckers?”</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t poke a sleeping tiger, (Y/N).”</em>
</p><p>“Aw, L.” (Y/N) grinned. “Why don’t you cut me some slack for once?”</p><p>
  <em>“No. I don’t want you to die. I can’t marry a dead person.”</em>
</p><p>(Y/N) began to choke on her own spit.</p><p> </p><p><em>“L, don’t tease (Y/N),” </em>berated Watari.</p><p>
  <em>“We’re dating. I have unlimited teasing rights now.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“…Why do I let you do this to me, L?”</p><p>
  <em>“Because you like it.”</em>
</p><hr/><p>Watari bandaged (Y/N)’s wounds.</p><p>“Good thing you didn’t get shot, (Y/N),” said Watari.</p><p>“I’m good at dodging bullets,” she responded. “Lots of practice. Oh, and how’s Alice these days?”</p><p>Watari smiled. “She has a girlfriend. Alice introduced her to me over the phone.”</p><p>“I should congratulate her.” She smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“(Y/N), because of the evidence you gathered by risking your life, L has now officially solved this case.” L smiled. “Thank you for your hard work.”</p><p>She rolled her eyes. “What can I say, I’m a simp.”</p><p>Watari laughed.</p><p>“Yes, that you are,” agreed L. “Would you like to share some cake with me?”</p><p>“Yes, please.”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) took a seat next to L.</p><p>“Say, ‘ah.’”</p><p>(Y/N) said ‘ah.’ L fed her a spoonful of cake.</p><p>“L never shares his cake,” said Watari. “You’re a special one, (Y/N).”</p><p>L smiled. “What can I say? I’m a simp.”</p><hr/><p>L let out little puffs of air through his mouth as he slept.</p><p>(Y/N) looked down upon him, smiling sadly.</p><p> </p><p>She stepped outside the room.</p><p>The clocks stopped ticking, and she knew, L was asleep.</p><p> </p><p>The silence was eerie, the previous honking of horns and noises of traffic gone in a heartbeat.</p><p>The stillness of the air was unnerving, and the sound of her footsteps rang out in the building.</p><p> </p><p>A gentle glow of light…</p><hr/><p>“How is he?” asked Madoka.</p><p>“Everything is still running smoothly,” said (Y/N), the Law of Cycles. “L doesn’t suspect a thing.”</p><p>“No signs of remembering? Nightmares?”</p><p>(Y/N) shook her head.</p><p> </p><p>She stared into the teacup and aimlessly stirred it…</p><hr/><p>It all began a long, long time ago.</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) had no idea how he remembered. She had no idea how, but he did all the same.</p><p>And chaos broke loose.</p><p> </p><p>Light Yagami was abducted on a warm sunny day.</p><p>Teru Mikami also went missing a few weeks after.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“What do you know about (Y/N)?” The artificial, emotionless voice rang out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t know anything! Let me go!” shouted Light.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Please…I want to see Misa again. One last time. Please…” pleaded Mikami.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) had descended to earth when it got too much.</p><p><em>“(Y/N)…why did you leave me?” L’s face was akin to one of a kicked puppy’s. “I promised to never leave you. I swore on my name, (Y/N). Then why did you leave </em>me?”</p><p>
  <em>(Y/N) smiled sadly, and reached out her hand to the sky…</em>
</p><p>She had wiped away L’s memories and reset the world.</p><p> </p><p>But it happened again.</p><p>
  <em>“I was looking for you.” L smiled. “And I finally found you.”</em>
</p><p>And again.</p><p>
  <em>“You are a truly selfless person, (Y/N). But I am a truly selfish man.”</em>
</p><p>And again.</p><p>
  <em>“I do tell lies. But this is the truth: wherever you are, I’ll always find you.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>An endless cycle, repeated over and over and over.</p><p> </p><p>So…</p><p>
  <em>(Y/N) looked at L.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She looked at the chaos unfolding in the Human World.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fire. Shouting. Fighting.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You…L, what have you done?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I needed to find you.” His dark eyes were bright with desperation. “You were the first person I fell in love with. I couldn’t forget that, (Y/N).”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“You never do, do you?” she said.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“What do you mean?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You always remember. Always. No matter what I do.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>L considered her words. “Ah…so you erased my memories before, didn’t you, (Y/N)? I try to find you, and…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“A time loop?” he muttered to himself. “It seems plausible…”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Y/N) reached her hand out…</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Are you going to go away again? You know that’s not going to work. I'll find you again.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t worry, I won’t.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Their hands connected.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“If it’s me you want…who am I to refuse you?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The illusionary world (Y/N) had placed L in was far from perfect because she knew L wouldn’t want that. No, it was a world of danger, of puzzles, of unsolvable crime, of thrill.</p><p> </p><p>It was a world where criminals would execute grand, well thought-out schemes, puzzle-like clues, and dangerous plans that were enough to thrill L and make him feel like he was living on the edge.</p><p>Where Magical Girls and Shinigami and Gods were ridiculous things, myths, legends, imaginary monsters that lived under children’s beds.</p><p>And right beside him, helping him solve these mysteries was (Y/N). The other L.</p><hr/><p>“You know, I still can’t believe you built an entire world for him. And erasing his existence from the real world to…” said the Shinigami King. “It takes a lot of magic and strength. I would have just killed him.”</p><p> </p><p>She wondered if this was what she wanted for them.</p><p>She didn’t.</p><p>But still…</p><p>One part wanted him to forget.</p><p>The other part was happy he remembered.</p><p> </p><p>“What can I say?” (Y/N) smiled. “I’m a simp.”</p><hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, who will rise above them all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Mello: Guardian Angel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first time Mihael saw her was when he was six years old.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His family had taken him out to the beach that day, and when his father took him out to see, he strayed too far away. Curiosity killed the cat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mihael had never learned to swim, so when the gigantic wave washed over him, he sank under, no match for the rage of the sea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Under and under and under…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The light of the surface glimmered, so bright, and so out of reach, as the water gathered Mihael into its cold, chilly embrace…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Warmth…</p>
<p>He needed warmth…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Two warm arms wrapped around Mihael, and his eyes drifted open.</p>
<p><br/>He saw a mermaid, a beautiful one in his opinion, holding him close to her chest as she swam upwards.</p>
<p>“It’s alright, Mihael.” She smiled. “You’ll be safe soon.”</p>
<p>Mihael had heard that mermaids had beautiful voices. He wanted to ask her if she could sing for him but was afraid that he might swallow the salty water if he opened his mouth.</p>
<p>So he didn’t ask.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eventually they reached the surface, and Mihael gasped for breath as he lay across the sand.</p>
<p>“Th…” He inhaled. “Thank you…”</p>
<p>She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re welcome.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A breeze of wind…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Mihael told his parents what had happened, they hadn’t believed him.</p>
<p>Mihael had swam to the surface himself, they had told him.</p>
<p>There was no mermaid.</p>
<p>He was alone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mihael figured it was just his imagination…</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mihael shook as he hid in the closet, hand over mouth.</p>
<p><em>Stay here, </em>his mother had told him. <em>Don’t let them find you. No matter what.</em></p>
<p>So he stayed, tears running down his face as the gunshots and screams rang in his ears.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The door to the closet swung open.</p>
<p>“Found you, brat.”</p>
<p>Mihael let out a scream, knowing his fate, knowing his fate, knowing his fate-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The man stopped and collapsed on the ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Mihael.”</p>
<p>It was <em>her.</em></p>
<p>She smiled, so beautiful. His saviour. “Run. And don’t look back.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And so Mihael ran…</p>
<hr/>
<p>Quillish Wammy drove through the streets of Los Angeles, ready to buy some cake for L…</p>
<p>The car stopped.</p>
<p>He frowned. <em>How strange. I visited a petrol station only a few minutes ago.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>He opened the door, and walked outside...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sharp breaths.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thief! Catch him!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The blond-haired boy ran, a slice of bread in his hands, ran, and ran, and ran…</p>
<p>He bumped into Watari…</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mello gritted his teeth as he punched the boy in the stomach.</p>
<p>He was much older, but Mello didn’t care.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Mello, stop!” cried out Matt.</p>
<p>Mello didn’t listen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The boy pulled a knife.</p>
<p>“I’ll make you pay, brat,” he snarled.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mello’s eyes widened, anticipating the feeling of knife against skin-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Time stopped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Mihael.”</p>
<p>Again. It was <em>her.</em> Again.</p>
<p>“I’d figured you’d be the type to always get into fights.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Behind him. He turned around.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You can’t always act first and think later, you know. You should try thinking a little.”</p>
<p>“What, like <em>Near?” </em>Mello spat.</p>
<p>She laughed. It made Mihael’s heart backflip, for some reason. Stupid hormones. “I see you still aren’t getting along.”</p>
<p>“What are you going to do now?” Mello frowned. “You came too late. He’s going to stab me.”</p>
<p>“Well, you see Mihael, I have all the time in the world…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She clapped her hands together…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mello woke up in his bed, his eyes turning to the calendar.</p>
<p>
  <em>No way.</em>
</p>
<p>It was the beginning of the day.</p>
<p>“This time, think before you act, ‘kay, Mihael?” said her voice, drifting away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ghost of a kiss on his lips…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mihael laid down a little longer, many things spinning around in his mind, among those thoughts-</p>
<p>
  <em>I got my first kiss.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mello stalked out of the orphanage angrily, pulling out his phone angrily.</p>
<p><em>‘Join me if you want, Matt,’ </em>said the text.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The rain poured down. Mello took a seat under the bus shelter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Mihael waited (for what, who knows), he thought he could see The Girl looking at him from the other side of the road. But then a car passed between them, and she was gone.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mello laid in bed, handling his gun.</p>
<p>It would begin soon, his plan. He was sure of it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cotton switched for leather; fists switched for guns. Things had changed for him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mello didn’t believe in God; despite the rosaries and crucifixes he wore. No, he did not believe that any God would allow this world to be as rotten as it was.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And yet, The Girl.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t know her name, even though her face was strangely, almost comfortingly familiar. There was no record of her, nothing. He had checked.</p>
<p>So he figured that she was a supernatural being of some sort.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He couldn’t figure out why she had such a deep-seated interest in him, constantly saving his life.</p>
<p>
  <em>Could she be in love with him?</em>
</p>
<p>The thought struck him like a lightning bolt.</p>
<p>Well, she<em> had</em> kissed him…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mello figured that he had a terrible personality, like many people in Wammy’s House. He was cold, calculating, sometimes angry, and an overall jerk.</p>
<p>He was literally part of the Mafia. An angel wouldn’t love someone like him.</p>
<p>
  <em>So what gives?</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>“You cannot do this forever, (Y/N),” said the Shinigami King, when he caught her looking at Mihael from above once more. “All humans die eventually.”</p>
<p>“I won’t do it forever,” she responded. “I’ll just manipulate things so that he lives a happy, full life. And he won’t even realise that I exist. I make sure of it, by wiping his memory.”</p>
<p>“A happy full life, you say. With a family? Children? Or perhaps he’ll live that life of his forever on the run, with hands stained with blood.”</p>
<p>No response. He sighed.</p>
<p>“Madoka tells me that human heart is stronger than anything. Love. Hope. Heartbreak. Despair. (Y/N), you gave up your life as a mortal to save him. If you keep this up, you’ll only be leading yourself to despair.”</p>
<p>“I won’t despair. Don’t worry.”</p>
<p>“…You may do as you wish. As long you are prepared for the consequences of your actions.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mello pressed the button.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The explosion was loud, deafening, almost, and he could feel his skin sear-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Mihael!”</p>
<p>At first, he was confused. <em>Who is Mihae-</em></p>
<p>He realised. He hadn’t been called that in so long.</p>
<p>So long.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Five years later, and she looked exactly the same.</p>
<p>“Michael! Mello! Mihael!”</p>
<p>
  <em>Who is Michael?</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her hands wrapped around his and just like that, he was somewhere else.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She hugged him. “I’m so sorry, Mihael. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She repeated the phrase over and over, and over. “I shouldn’t have let this happened to you. I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>Mello (Mihael? Michael?) stayed stock-still.</p>
<p>She kissed him. “I love you. Now forget me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She drifted away…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Matt found him ages later and ended up treating his wounds.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>
  <em>Halle Lidner is hot.</em>
</p>
<p>That was the first thing Mello thought when he met her.</p>
<p>Now…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stood in her bathroom and ate chocolate as she showered, barely listening as she fed him information about Near, and the apparent fact that she would have to place cameras everywhere but the-</p>
<p>“So, what are you going to do? Live in the bathroom?”</p>
<p>Mello stopped.</p>
<p>“It’s okay with me. I don’t mind having you around.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mello sensed what she was implying, he was a genius after all, and for a moment, he seriously considered it.</p>
<p>Halle Lidner was gorgeous, after all, and most guys his age would kill to be in his place right now-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>“I love you. Now forget me.”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Girl’s lips were salty, Mihael realised. Not that he would know much, considering he only tasted them once. Perhaps salty with tears. She always seemed to be a little bit sad, although he didn’t know why he thought this.</p>
<p>Mello’s eyes lingered on Halle’s lips for a moment. He figured that Halle would taste sweet, maybe exotic. She seemed the exotic type, and obviously adventurous, considering she was asking a Mafia leader to-</p>
<p>Mihael may have liked the sweetness of chocolate, but he would pick the (familiar?) salt of The Girl’s lips over it any day.</p>
<p>Mihael didn’t know why.</p>
<p>He just did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So he said, “No thanks,” and went on eating his chocolate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Halle shrugged. She didn’t seem too offended.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mihael thought he heard the ghost of a soft sigh.</p>
<p>He thought he heard a ‘thank you.’</p>
<p>The ghost of a kiss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mihael had only tasted her lips two times…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Salted caramel.</p>
<p>That’s what they tasted like.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sweet like love.</p>
<p>Salty like tears.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Matt had told him to run.</p>
<p>And so he did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eventually, they would catch up to him, Near’s lackeys, and when they did, he would be done for.</p>
<p>But he wouldn’t let Near win so easily.</p>
<p>Not today.</p>
<p>Not ever.</p>
<p>Like hell he would lose.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mihael had always felt like something was off with this, to be honest. This obsession to win. It consumed his entire being, once upon a time, but now…</p>
<p>As he was on the brink of death, he wondered.</p>
<p>Was this what he wanted?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Time stopped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t want you to die, Mihael.”</p>
<p>“I know you, don’t I?” He did. “You always appear when something bad is going to happen. You always bail me out. You love me. And I…I love you?” It’s not that he wasn’t sure he loved her. He just wasn’t sure <em>why.</em></p>
<p>“…I’ll reset.” Her eyes lowered sadly. “And this time, I’ll make sure you forget.”</p>
<p>“No, no, no…” What was this?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mihael hardly knew her.</p>
<p>She was this…mysterious magical being…</p>
<p>And yet…</p>
<p>Why…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t know her name.</p>
<p>Didn’t know it…</p>
<p>(Y…</p>
<p>It was coming to him. Like being able to remember something after forgetting.</p>
<p>N)….</p>
<p>(Y/N)!</p>
<p>“(Y/N)! Your name is (Y/N)!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N)’s eyes widened. “Wh…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Your name is (Y/N),” said Mihael. “And I’m positive that I love you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her eyes began to well up. “You…you remember my name…”</p>
<p>“It’s a beautiful name.” He smiled. “Frankly, it’s a shame I forgot it.”</p>
<p>“You’re just saying that…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I want to know.”</p>
<p>“…” She considered. “How much?”</p>
<p>“Everything.”</p>
<p>“It’s easier if you forget.”</p>
<p>“But I don’t.” Mihael smirked. “The easy option is for losers.”</p>
<p>She laughed, a sort of sad laugh, now that Mihael thought about it, but happy too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And then she told him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p>
<p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, who will rise above them all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Matt: The List</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Matt woke up, sweating heavily.</p><p>“Matt?” Linda. “Are you ok?”</p><p>She had heard him screaming.</p><p> </p><p>Matt shook his small head and smiled. “Nah, just a nightmare.”</p><p>“You know…” Linda sat at Matt’s bed and smiled. “You can tell me about your nightmare, if you want.”</p><p>To her surprise, Matt nodded his head.</p><p>“It was so weird.” Matt pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged himself. “There was this really pretty girl…she was...trying to say something to me. Then…I was in front of this really scary monster…and that pretty girl was there…”</p><p>“It’s alright.” Linda smiled. “Maybe you just had a little too much to eat tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>Matt’s eyes turned to Linda’s ring.</p><p>
  <em>Soul Gem.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Quillish Wammy looked at Matt, aka Mail Jeevas’ files.</p><p>“He’s third again, L.”</p><p>“Good for him,” said L, not really paying attention.</p><p>“That’s not the point, L.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari brought out some more files. “He’s been getting the same results for every time he’s taken the test. He’s always ended up third. Even his IQ test…”</p><p>“Third?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“I still don’t see what’s the big deal.”</p><p> </p><p>Watari sighed.</p><p>
  <em>The point is…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Maybe he’s getting these results on purpose?</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Mello angrily stormed to his and Matt’s shared room and began throwing things into a bag.</p><p>“Mello…”</p><p>“M-Matt…</p><p>“You’re gonna leave, right?”</p><p>“What else can I do?” snapped Mello. “Near’s going to get the title of L-”</p><p>“L wants you two to work together.”</p><p> </p><p>Mello stopped. “What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Think about it.” Matt took off his goggles. “Near is the smartest here, but he can’t function properly on his own. You’re not as smart as Near, but you’re self-reliant, and have good manipulation skills and leadership skills. So L obviously wants you to work together.”</p><p> </p><p>“…” Mello opened his mouth-</p><p>“Mello, take a minute, and <em>listen. </em>Do you hate Near?”</p><p>Mello stayed silent.</p><p>“Do you hate Near?”</p><p>“I do.”</p><p>“No you don’t,” said Matt, tired. “You’re just jealous. But you know what, you don’t need to be. You’ve got your talents, Near has his talents, and that’s perfectly okay.”</p><p>“But he’s like L!” exploded Mello. “And I’m not!”</p><p>“Who the hell cares?” Matt sighed. “In the grand scheme of things, whether you’re like L or not doesn’t really matter. And besides, you’re perfectly fine the way you are.”</p><p>“What the hell’s gotten into you today, Matt?”</p><p>“Nothing. So, go back out there, and have a heart-to-heart with Near already.”</p><p>“Bull-”</p><p>“Just do it. You’ll thank me later.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Matt…”</p><p>Near pieced together his puzzle.</p><p>“What got you to get Mello to talk with me that day?”</p><p> </p><p>Matt shrugged. “Well…you could say I had an epiphany recently.”</p><p> </p><p>Near smiled. “Well, I’m glad. Now Mello and I are an inseparable team. Our skillsets really make us a good match. And he’s also a good friend…”</p><p>Matt smiled too. “Yeah. It’s just that he used to worry over the small stuff, you know.”</p><p>“Well…so can you tell me what this ‘epiphany’ was?”</p><p> </p><p>Matt smiled again, more mysterious somehow. “Nothing important.”</p>
<hr/><p>Light Yagami walked down a street.</p><p>
  <em>This ‘Death Note’ seems like a prank, to be honest.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even so-</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He collided with someone.</p><p>“Oh, sorry!”</p><p>A boy helped him up.</p><p> </p><p>A boy with goggles, and red hair.</p><p>“You dropped your bag.”</p><p>He handed the bag to Light, who smiled gratefully, before walking away.</p><p> </p><p>Later, when Light would scour through his bag, he would realise that the Death Note had gone missing.</p>
<hr/><p>Matt looked through his room, looking, looking-</p><p> </p><p>Aha!</p><p> </p><p>He brought out a book, the title reading, ‘Life Goals.’</p><p> </p><p>He opened it.</p><p> </p>
<ul>
<li>Save parents from dying – failed</li>
<li>Enter Wammy’s – succeeded</li>
<li>Befriend Mello – succeeded</li>
<li>Befriend Near – succeeded</li>
<li>Befriend Linda – succeeded</li>
<li>Get third place – succeeded</li>
<li>Stop Mello from leaving – succeeded</li>
<li>Make Mello and Near befriend each other – succeeded</li>
<li>Stop Light from picking up the Death Note</li>
</ul><p>Matt looked at the ninth entry, and picking up his pen, added a ‘failed’ to the end.</p><p>He added a tenth entry.</p>
<ul>
<li>Steal Death Note – succeeded</li>
</ul><p>And then an eleventh.</p>
<ul>
<li>Destroy Death Note – succeeded</li>
</ul><p> </p><p>He sighed.</p><p>Well, that was all well and good, but what about <em>that </em>goal?</p><p>The goal that mattered most.</p>
<ul>
<li>Find (Y/N)</li>
<li>Tell (Y/N) that I love her</li>
</ul><p>Well, technically, two goals.</p><p>Matt couldn’t decide between the two.</p><p> </p><p>Matt next went through the reports he had received.</p><p>
  <em>Hm, the white rat’s in Kanto?</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Matt clearly remembered how the Incubator looked, that was one problem down.</p><p>Too bad he couldn’t ask Linda, or Misa.</p><p>Misa didn’t even know Matt.</p><p> </p><p>Now, Matt’s best bet was to go search for Kyubey in the most impoverished areas with the most teenage girls. It would be an ideal place for Kyubey to go if he wanted to Contract girls-</p><p> </p><p>“I can wish for anything?”</p><p>“Yes! Just make a Contract with me!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Found you.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Matt quickly rushed to the direction of the sound, turning around at a corner.</p><p>“Kyubey,” he said.</p><p>Kyubey tilted its head. “Who are you?”</p><p>“I am-”</p><p> </p><p>His heart beat.</p><p> </p><p>Matt collapsed to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>Kyubey trotted over to Matt, sniffing him.</p><p>“Ah,” it declared. “It looks like he’s dead.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Shinigami King, what were you <em>thinking?”</em></p><p>“This was the easiest solution, Madoka.”</p><p>“You just can’t go around killing humans!”</p><p>“I don’t go around killing humans. He was a special case.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mail? Mail? Can you hear me? Mail?”</p><p> </p><p>Mail Jeevas groaned and opened his eyes.</p><p>“Mail!”</p><p>A girl hugged him.</p><p>An oddly familiar girl.</p><p>Her name was…</p><p>“(Y/N)?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mail…you remember me!”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N) hugged him again.</p><p>“I’m so sorry! I wanted to go down and wipe your memories, but-”</p><p>“The Shinigami King killed you. I deeply apologise,” said a pink haired girl, who Mail assumed was Madoka.</p><p>“Shinigami…So, I’m dead?” Mail was glad that Mello and Near were now friends, because it meant that Mello would probably be able to recover from Matt’s death.</p><p> </p><p>“Now…” said Madoka. “What do we do with you?”</p>
<hr/><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p><p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p><p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, who will rise above them all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0045"><h2>45. Near: Imaginary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Near put the pieces of the puzzle in place.</p>
<p>“So, Near, what do you think?” asked Halle. “What should be do about Mello?”</p>
<p>“He’s a Mafia leader, and powerful too,” Rester said. “Leaving him on the loose could be dangerous.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’ll have to ask (Y/N),” said Near. “What do <em>you </em>think?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A shimmer of light…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N) spoke, appearing beside Near. “Well, on one hand, it <em>is </em>dangerous. But on the other hand, leaving him be will help us in the long run if we play our cards right.”</p>
<p>Near narrowed his eyes at her appearance. “Yes. And those cards we’ll have to play are-”</p>
<p>“-keeping him under constant survaillence-”</p>
<p>“-counting in every possibility of his future moves-”</p>
<p>“-And to make sure that innocents remained unharmed,” they said in unison. They smiled.</p>
<p>“Rester…” said Gevanni under his breath. “Who is this ‘(Y/N)?’”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“(Y/N) is my imaginary friend, Gevanni,” said Near. He smiled at Gevanni’s surprise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Gevanni’s not a very good whisperer,” said (Y/N). “But still…I’m hurt that you called me imaginary, Near.”</p>
<p>“Well, you are.”</p>
<p>(Y/N) pouted. “Hmph…I’ll forgive you. But only because I love you.”</p>
<p>Near rolled his eyes. “You’re only saying that because I’m starved for affection.”</p>
<p>“Well, you are.” (Y/N) smiled. “I can’t see why, though. You’re adorable!”</p>
<p>“(Y/N), you’re acting more perky than usual. What’s the occasion?”</p>
<p>She laughed. “It’s Valentine’s Day, of course-”</p>
<p>“No,” said Near. “I will not accept a Valentine from my imaginary friend.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N) pouted again angrily and dissolved in a shimmer of light.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Near sighed.</p>
<p>(Y/N) always got like this on special occasions. But it was only for a small period of time before Near’s mind decided that (Y/N) had forgiven him, and she returned.</p>
<p>Near had always wondered why she looked so unusual. Near had figured once that if he’d an imaginary friend, then they would be male, and a little like him.</p>
<p>(Y/N) was intelligent like him, but that was where most of the similarities ended.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Near wore white pyjamas, (Y/N) wore a gorgeous gown.</p>
<p>Near was anti-social, (Y/N) was able to become a social butterfly at will.</p>
<p>Near acted cold towards her, (Y/N) was nothing but loving towards him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As if on cue, she appeared again. “Near, it’s fine.” She smiled. “You don’t need to get me a present.”</p>
<p>“Good thing you’re not real, (Y/N),” said Near. “If you were real, someone might take advantage of that kindness of yours.”</p>
<p>“That’s not true.” (Y/N) smiled. “If I were real, then you’d be my best friend. And you would have warned me the moment you saw bad signs.”</p>
<p>“If you were real, you’d probably not listen.”</p>
<p>“If I were, I probably wouldn’t,” admitted (Y/N). “I’d end up heartbroken. And if I were real, you would come over to check on me.”</p>
<p>“If you were real, I’d scold you for being so naïve.”</p>
<p>“If I were real, I’d ask you to help me take revenge on my ex.”</p>
<p>“If you were real, I would refuse.”</p>
<p>“If I were real, you’d probably invite me to come over to yours to cheer me up then.”</p>
<p>“Yes…” said Near. Near quickly retracted his statement. “No.”</p>
<p>“Ah, yes you will. Then we’ll get closer, and closer, and evemtually we’ll get together, then you’ll-oh, I’m only <em>joking </em>Near, don’t look at me like that.” (Y/N) sighed. “But you know…” Her voice was uncharacteristically serious. “I don’t really mind if you stay single, or if you get a girlfriend. Hell, even if you get a boyfriend. I’ll be happy if you’re happy too.”</p>
<p>Near until now was putting a puzzle together whilst talking. Upon hearing her words, he stopped.</p>
<p>“Good thing you’re not real, (Y/N),” repeated Near. “If you were real, someone might take advantage of that kindness of yours.”</p>
<p>“Aw…you really do care.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Y/N) smiled sadly, and Near thought that he felt his heart stop at that smile.</p>
<p>But then he told himself, <em>she’s not real, she is a figment of my imagination. Simply someone I created to talk to. Someone I created to understand me.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>It’s not possible for a real person to be perfect, and therefore, (Y/N) must be imaginary.</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Night fell.</p>
<p>“Near, go to sleep.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Please.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Please?” (Y/N) gave him <em>the look. </em>The one he couldn’t say no to.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Near lay down on his bed, making himself still in an effort to fall asleep.</p>
<p>An hour. Two hours.</p>
<p>Near wasn’t asleep.</p>
<p>Warm hands cupped his face gently. “Goodnight, Near.” A sad, happy voice. (Y/N)’s voice. “Sweet dreams.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A ghost of a kiss…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Near lay awake in his bed, one thought running through his head.</p>
<p>
  <em>She’s real?</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>Five Magical Girls, standing proud and tall.</p>
<p>If one, two, three, four should fall,</p>
<p>There’ll be one Magical Girl left, who will rise above them all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0046"><h2>46. Bonus Chapter: Schneekönigin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I would like to thank all my past, present, and future readers for supporting Puella Deus Mortem Magica! It means a lot that my book brought you all enjoyment, and I hope you all like my future works as much too!<br/>This book has been a ride, but it was all worth it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Light ran as fast as he could. He ran and ran and ran.</p><p>Ran and ran.</p><p>
  <em>What had happened there?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Light,” she said. “Get away from me.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What happened? (Y/N), you look terrible-”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Get away! I’m not going to be able to hold on for much longer…” She pulled out her ring. “Leave me, Light! Get Misa! Go! Now! Or else they’ll be doomed!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Light ran.</p><p>
  <em>Misa Amane…</em>
</p><p>(Y/N)’s best friend.</p><p>
  <em>Where could she be?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The movie shoot!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Light ran to the movie shoot, and upon reaching, shouted, “Police!”</p><p>He held out a fake identification card. “Tell me where Misa Amane is!”</p><p>The people looked at each other.</p><p>“She isn’t here,” one of them said. “She went for an errand.”</p><p> </p><p>“Dammit!” Light shouted. “Do you have any idea where she is?”</p><p>“No,” another one answered. “She didn’t say.”</p><p> </p><p>Light growled in frustration and ran to the direction of Misa’s house. <em>Perhaps I’ll have some luck there-</em></p><p> </p><p>“Hello.”</p><p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>A white creature. Rabbit-like. Cat-like. Red, emotionless eyes which bore right through Light, staring into the darkest depths of his soul.</p><p>“I suppose you are looking for Misa Amane?”</p><p>“Wh-who are you?”</p><p>“I am Kyubey. An acquaintance of (Y/N). You wish to save her, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yes…” Light considered. “I do.”</p><p>“Then follow me. I can lead you to Misa Amane.”</p><p> </p><p>A nagging feeling in Light’s gut told him not to trust Kyubey, but he had been taught to trust logic over heart, and so he followed Kyubey.</p><hr/><p>Misa Amane scouted the horizon.</p><p>
  <em>There’s a strong magical force…probably a powerful Witch. I need to kill it ASA-</em>
</p><p>“Amane-san!”</p><p>Misa turned around. “Huh?”</p><p>“It’s (Y/N)! She…something happened to her,” Light said. “She asked me to get you-”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you waiting for?” said Misa. “Let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>And Misa ran, faster than ever.</p><p>
  <em>(Y/N)…</em>
</p><hr/><p>Misa stood at the entrance to HQ.</p><p> </p><p>She cupped her hands, turning her ring into a Soul Gem.</p><p>A flash of light, and she was in her Magical Girl outfit.</p><p> </p><p>“No time to explain,” she said. She brought out her chainsaw. “We have to save (Y/N).”</p><p> </p><p>A portal opened in front of them, and a chilly breeze flowed through the room.</p><p>Misa looked at Light. “You don’t have to follow me if you don’t want to.”</p><p> </p><p>Light shook his head. “I’m following you. This might…”</p><p> </p><p>(Y/N).</p><p>Of everyone here, she was the most different.</p><p>The most out of place.</p><p>She tried to be like them sometimes, tried to fit in, but in the end…</p><p>She was (Y/N).</p><p>She was not like them, not really.</p><p> </p><p>“This might give me some answers,” said Light.</p><p> </p><p>And so…</p><p>They entered the Labyrinth.</p><hr/><p>The Task Force brought out their guns.</p><p>“What are those things?”</p><p>Snowmen raised their hands, and reached towards them, but the Task Force shot at them, again and again.</p><p>“I don’t know, but we have to protect (Y/N)!”</p><p> </p><p>The Task Force were guarding a pillar of ice, in which (Y/N)’s body was suspended.</p><p> </p><p>“Look out!” called out a female voice.</p><p> </p><p>Tick, tick, tick-</p><p>BOOM.</p><p> </p><p>A bomb exploded, dissolving the snowmen.</p><p>Misa Amane landed gracefully beside the Task Force</p><p>“There’s no time,” she said, “so listen carefully. Bring out your weapons.”</p><p>Mello said, “What are you-”</p><p>“Just do it,” Misa interrupted. “We can’t waste time.”</p><p> </p><p>The Task Force obliged. Their weapons were transformed into colourful things which resembled toys. “You should be better equipped now,” said Misa, smiling. “They’re magic. Now stay here, and protect (Y/N), while I hunt the-”</p><p>“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”</p><p> </p><p>A scream. Misa turned her head.</p><p>The Witch.</p><p>Long, white hair which reached to its feet, covering its entire body as it sat on the ground and weeped. Blue, icy skin.</p><p>It raised its head.</p><p>No face. No mouth, and yet it screamed.</p><p>“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”</p><p> </p><p>Misa leaped into the air without a word, tossing the bomb at the Witch, then slashing at it with her chainsaw.</p><p>The Witch slammed her to the ground, and Misa spat out blood.</p><p><br/>“I’ll beat you,” muttered Misa, looking at the Witch.</p><p>The Witch looked back, with its eyeless face.</p><p> </p><p>If you stare into the abyss, the abyss will stare back.</p><p> </p><p>Silence.</p><p> </p><p>The Witch raised its hands to its heart, a cold frost spreading from her chest, to her arms, to her face-</p><p> </p><p>The Labyrinth dissolved. A Grief Seed dropped in front of Misa, who picked it up, and rushed over to her friend’s form.</p><p>“(Y/N)!”</p><p> </p><p>Misa picked up her hands, searching for that familiar ring. Nothing.</p><p>“Where is her Soul Gem?”</p><p> </p><p>Misa reached in to check for a pulse-</p><p>“It’s no use, Misa.”</p><p>The Incubator looked at Misa. “You won’t find (Y/N) (L/N)’s Soul Gem.”</p><p>“Did it break?” asked Misa desperately. “Did she lose it? Tell me!”</p><p> </p><p>“It turned to a Grief Seed, and hatched,” said Kyubey.</p><p> </p><p>Misa’s eyes widened. She shook her head. “No. No. No. No. You’re lying. No.”</p><p>“I’m telling the truth. In fact, it’s her Grief Seed that you’re holding right now.”</p><p>“No. No…” Misa looked at her trembling hands, the hands which held (Y/N)’s Grief Seed. “No.”</p><p>“It’s curious, you know. I have never encountered a Witch that killed itself, ever. But (Y/N) <em>was</em> the self-sacrificing type, so really, I shouldn’t have expected anything else-”</p><p>“NOOOOOOO!” screamed Misa.</p><p> </p><p>Misa hugged the dead (Y/N)’s body and began to sob.</p><p>(Y/N) had finally left her.</p><hr/><p>(Y/N) looked at the vision which glowed brightly in her hands.</p><p>“So, this is what <em>could </em>have happened?” she muttered to herself.</p><p> </p><p>The Law of Cycles cast the vision into the darkness, never to be seen again.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>The </em>
  <em>Schneekönigin, the Witch of Winter. Its nature is isolation and guilt. The Witch has sealed itself in its Winter Wonderland, away from the world that has caused her so much pain. It only wishes to be left alone. But if someone were to wander inside its Labyrinth, it can’t help but cry out to try and warn them, as its Familiars tear them to pieces. One hoping to defeat it does not need to do anything, because, if left to its own devices, the Witch will kill itself so that no more will die in its Labyrinth.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The </em>
  <em>Schneemänner are the Familiars of the </em>
  <em>Schneekönigin. Their duty is to protect their master from any more pain. They guard their master fiercely, and anyone who steps into the Labyrinth unarmed will surely and quickly be ripped apart. However, their actions work against their noble goal, as every person they kill makes their master feel more guilty.</em>
</p>
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